Repopulation
by KidxCronaLuv
Summary: Follow an original story created by myself, played out by characters of Total Drama, starring Duncan and Courtney. It's a Suspense/Drama/Romance/Action and a bit of Comedy for reliefe. Hope you like it! -DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

Repopulation

Dedicated to MY beloved Heroes, my beloved dogs: Lobo (1999 - 2010) A beloved Wolf/Husky/German Shepherd who saved my family from dangerous robbers trying to invade our home.

And Rocco (2008-2011) a lovable American Bulldog who always comforted me when I cried, and really was a great friend…who cheated his way through puppy school.

Prologue

They sat at their set, ready to read local and worldwide stories for their town to hear.

"Wow, have you read _this_ story yet?" "Yeah, and it sounds extremely creepy, but Earth has always had its issues. I'm sure ERA will solve this new one." "You're right, Bri. Who would've thought Nevada would hold the headquarters for something like ERA?" "Hell, I remembered when the army had just started experimenting with ultrasonic sound wave weapons, or inferred laser guns, but for them to create Earth Rebuilding Army? We've become old, Max." "We're only 40; born back in 1987, the good old days!" "Think about it, born in 1987…now it's 2027." "…Damn, we really _are_ old." Blinding lights flashed on, the cameras began auto-aiming themselves at the set; it was time. "Well, at least I won't get to read _that_ story. Good luck, Bri." It was time for the countdown…5…4…3…2…Action! "Good Morning, Vegas! I'm Brianna Jackson, and this is my co-anchor, Maxwell Taylor. May I add what a beautiful sunshine, too, thanks to ERA! Remember, 'Trust in The New ERA' for our Earth's protection, woohoo!" "Don't," Brianna thought, "The world was actually…better before…"

**Part One: "In God We Trust"**

**Chapter One-The Troubled Professor**

**"College is still college, home is still home, and lonely is still…very much…lonely, thought Duncan Brown."**

Age 25 and a college professor, with a doctorate? It was unbelievably new. He was living an unreal dream that was actually all _too_ real in 2027. He even had a few students older than himself. "But the money," Duncan would think, "I'm doing it for the money…It's just not worth it anymore. I should be at these 'wild college par-tays,' not at research buildings on a damn university campus! I haven't even-" his alarm clock beeped loudly and he shut it off "—just great. Now it's back to work again." He sat up in his bed and looked down his right side. There layed his sleeping Golden Retriever-Terrier mutt. "Get up, Scooter." he said playfully, "Another day closer to Friday, get up, boy." "Don't give me your baby talk, I am 3 years—I mean—21 years old!" Scooter replied from his thought translator. These things came with every dog color in 2027. "We've got to get ready for class…again." "I'm on all four already! _You _need to get up, lazy ass!" Scooter yanked the sheets off the bed." "Fine," Duncan said reluctantly, "but would you go turn on the T.V. for me? News channels only!" "Fine, but if I don't see hot Labradors on the news, you owe me." "No poodles for you?' "Nah, beneath all that fluff and puff is nothing but a bone-digging whore." Scooter trotted out the bedroom.

Duncan walked into the bathroom and had turned on his shower, waiting for the water to get hot. He leaned over the sink counter and stared at the mirror after splashing some water into his face. Duncan Brown, age 25, born December 24th, 2002. He had mesmerizing blue-grey eyes, jet black hair, an odd neon-green Mohawk (since he liked to push the boundaries of his professor uniform rules), and a cocky smirk that could make ladies all over the country fall at his feet and beg for his companionship. He was a short for a guy, but he was physically fit, and wasn't afraid to show how strong he really was. Although he seemed to be a lady killer, that was the contradiction; he wasn't "unique" enough for most the women of 2027. "Shallow," he'd say to himself, "humanity has and will always be shallow…even you, mommy dearest." He stared at the mirror as if it showed him his past. "You abandoned me and left me with my father. You left him for a younger guy you heartless, shallow, easy, cheap, stupid whore!"

Duncan came into his living room after his shower, dressed up in his rebellious uniform. At the university he worked at, every professor had to dress in a suit and tie, but he dressed like his age just to irritate his superiors: slightly baggy jeans with a green t-shirt underneath a black zip-up hood sweater, and his pair of worn out red Converse high-tops. "Is there anything interesting, on T.V., Scooter?" "Now there is. Pay attention to this." Scooter turned up the volume on the television. "A new issue for the world, you may ask? According to scientists, Earth's human population is growing too much, too fast. It's like a new type of pollution." The anchor woman announced, "Fear not, because ERA officials are already working on a solution I'm Brianna Banks for Channel 10 Action News." "Sounds scary, huh, Duncan?" Scooter asked. "I agree, especially since ERA's now trying to solve said problem. That godforsaken organization is against how life used to be; free. They want to control us, Scooter. It's not really Earth Rebuilding Army, its Earth Recreation Army." "How do you know?" "I'm a professor. I have the brain to figure it out, duh." Duncan grabbed his keys off the coffee table and walked towards the door. "If you go in that outfit again, you're going to get fired." "Let's hope so, boy." He walked out the door.

"Good morning, Professor Brown!" the female students would use to chant every time he walked in. Duncan usually responded, but not today. No, today was different for some reason. "Quiet, class, I want silence. Today the university decided to interrupt my lesson for a stupid, snobby guest speaker! We are all adults here, we shouldn't be treated as if we were kids in middle school or elementary school. As you can tell, I'm not in any sort of mood to deal with this shit today. What else can I say besides don't act like an ignorant college students?" "We are college students," a student in the back said proudly, "so we always act like ignorant children. Hey, shouldn't you be a student too?" "Well," Duncan chuckled, "that fact only proves I shouldn't be, seeing as I am so much more intelligent than you. Try walking a day in my shoes! I am 25 and have to deal with little shithead like yourself everyday for a living and then I have to actually teach you something." The student went silent. "Behave for the guest speaker, now. I wouldn't want to make you miserable in front of a guest." "The speaker isn't here yet, professor." "Where the hell could they be?" he thought, "And the head of the university tells me _I'm _not doing _my_ job?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two- The Late Princess

**S****he layed in her bathtub running through her memories of her childhood…**

"What am I suppose to do when I grow up?" "My darling, you will take over our company. You are like a princess. You shouldn't really do much, but enjoy the money and be pampered." She didn't consider this answer until she became 16. "As I said when u where little, you are to be pampered. The company will protect you." "Protect? Spoil me, is the term you're looking for, father! I do not dare let myself except pampering and riches from a company that will eventually change this world we are so lucky to live on. Your company, no, your ARMY will kill everyone! You are obsessed with control-" "I only want to protect you! That is why I created this organization! To protect you-" "By creating this army? You need some serious help! I will—no—I am disowning this family and your damn army! I will grow up to be against you! You are my enemy!" She ran away that night…

"I did it, padre," she said to herself in her Spanish accent, "I am no longer you're little spoiled brat. I'm an independent woman of science. In a way, you were right, I am a sort of princess, but I reward myself. I earned it." She looked over at her wall clock she awkwardly had in her bathroom. "I'm late!"

That's it! I have waited almost an hour for this guest speaker, and I'm not about to get fired for someone else's mistakes!" Duncan marched towards the classroom entrance and opened the door. "I'm sorry I'm late, mister!" In rushed the independent princess. After setting her bags besides Duncan's desk, she turned around to face him and held out her hand for him to shake. "My name is Courtney Lopez. I'm your class' guest speaker." "Courtney Lopez," Duncan thought as he stared at her, "she's this scientist guest speaker I've been waiting for? She looks more like a model from Victoria's Secret commercials!" He cleared his throat nervously. "D-Duncan Brown, it's nice to meet you." He finally shook her hand. "Her skin feels so…soft." He thought. "Courtney-" he stopped himself, "I mean, Mrs. Lopez, what field of science are you studying?" "Misses? Oh, I'm not married, Mr. Brown." She pointed at her bare ring finger. "…Call me, Duncan, Ms. Lopez." He started hearing some of his students giggling until the classroom's football player began singing the famous line from a classic romance song, "When a man loves a woman-" "Shut up, Drew, I'll flunk you!" Duncan yelled while slightly feeling his face flush, but he wasn't visibly blushing. Courtney turned to the white board and began writing some notes onto it. While she was doing so, Duncan quickly grabbed an apple at his desk and threw it at Drew before he began singing again. Courtney turned and looked at him with question, but he acted as if he hadn't thrown anything at all and shrugged. "May I begin my lecture?" "Of course you may, Ms. Lopez, of course. There all ears." Duncan leaned back on the classroom entrance door to observe. "Class, I am Courtney Lopez, and I study the eco system, how it works, and how ERA is so effortlessly changing." "Wow," Duncan thought, "she's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" He began examining her over like a precious gem. She had that California tan skin, shiny brown hair that went down to her shoulders, and he seemed to like it a lot. "She looks like a teenager," he thought, "Maybe she rebels against her job too?" She was shorter than him, but had curves that assured her Latin heritage. "Like an hourglass…she has such full curves…and lips." She also had extremely dark brown eyes that shined like onyx gems, and a few freckles upon the ridge of her adorable nose. "How lovely," Duncan thought, "How incredibly lovely! Whoa, just slow your own roll! You just barely met her!" "Mr. Brown?" She interrupted his self argument, "Your class left for lunch. How long until the next class to come?" Duncan smirked at her question. "Eager, now are we? Relax, Ms. Lopez. Why don't we go to lunch too?" "We?" "Hey, didn't I ask you to call me, Duncan?" "…You're very pushy." She shrugged, "But I happen to like that. So, Duncan, lunch sounds great! Let's go." "…Oh, Ms. Lopez…this isn't a date and stuff…" "Call me, Courtney, and don't worry about it. I wasn't even close to expecting a date with you." She walked out the door with a sassy sway in her hips in her steps. "Stupid," Duncan thought, "I am so stupid!"

"I would've thought you'd take me to a restaurant, not a café on this university campus." "Want to go somewhere else?" "No, its fine," Courtney quickly replied, "…Duncan?" "Yes?" "How do you feel about-" "You?" he thought, "well…" He smiled sweetly at the thought of such a question. "-ERA?" Courtney finally said. "Oh…well, like some other people with common sense, I think they deserve to go to hell. Although our past Earth had issues, it was great. Now we have the future we've been imagining about since even before you and I were born. We have everything we could've ever wanted. We have iHomes? It only used to be iPods and iPads! It isn't an enjoyable life anymore." "What makes you say that? ERA has made everything safer, right?" Duncan sipped his coffee then said calmly, "Nature used to be nature. When I drive down the highway, I see air purifying stations everywhere." "You can see when you drive at over 100 mph?" "You know what I mean." He sighed. "Homes are computerized and do everything themselves, surgeons have been replaced by medical robots, cars are now entertainment shells that drive themselves. The only things ERA can't control are human nature and the weather." "That's why you think life's no fun?" "Yes. You agree?" "I think humans just aren't ever satisfied with what they have right under their little noses." "I thought you were a scientist, not a philosopher." "Right back at yah; why did you change to teaching BOTH philosophy and chemistry?" "Science is fun. However, I enjoy 'Word Science' even more." "Very deep." She sipped her iced green tea, "You must be really interested in human nature and _emotions_." "Whoa," he thought, "Was I the only one who heard how she said that? Her tone of voice sounded flirtatious? Damn, I'm good!" "Do you study anything else like that?" "Emotions truly do interest me. I used to study body language and the ever so questioned face reading. It really does seem so inaccurate, face reading that is." "I've read a book about that." She stared at him. "He's quite handsome." She thought, "But you've read his face, Courtney, you know him a bit more now." "Let me guess, you're the type of guy who doesn't date women for long periods of time, you have a big ego, live all alone with maybe a dog, and when it comes to 'the bedroom,' you care about quantity of women, not quality?" Duncan was shocked. Most of what she said was somewhat true, except… "Um, to be honest, I have never actually-" He was interrupted by the chanting of "Fight, Fight, Fight!" going on outside. "Not another damn fight." He and Courtney ran out and pushed their way past the crowd. Courtney gasped at the horrific scene of two students fighting each other, brutally. They were both members of the university's football team; one was the quarterback, known as Mike, and the other was just a player who had become a benchwarmer, Joey. Joey, however, was the one smashing his fists into Mike, violently. Mike was on the ground, bleeding from a punch to his nose and chin, a bruise beginning to form on one of his eyes, while Joey began kicking his side. "That's enough!" Duncan yelled, "What the hell is on here?" He pulled the students apart and helped Mike onto his own two feet. "He is a monster! His father killed my family! My only family I had left! You are a sick bastard, you ERA soldier child! You will grow up to become scum like your father!" "Did he say ERA?" Courtney thought. "Oh, no…is the rumor true?" "Explain yourself," Courtney found herself saying without thinking, "why would an ERA soldier kill innocent citizens?" "His 'family,' basically his dear daddy," the beaten Mike muttered, wiping blood off his own mouth, "is a pathetic excuse. He isn't innocent at all. He was a drug dealer who got caught and sent to pay his dues after his loss in court. His existence is worthless!" "He was going to be released! He was finally going to be released, and I would finally have him back! Why would ERA need to execute him, then, you soulless son of a bitch!" Joey tried to tackle down Mike, but Duncan restrained him from doing so. Duncan, however, was too baffled to understand this situation and why ERA would command soldiers to do such things. "Both of you, report to the Head Master's office." The students went their separate ways, and so did the crowd. Duncan asked two nearby students to follow them and to make sure they wouldn't fight again. "What kind of drug are those stupid kids on to think such things?" "Oh, there not insane at all; I think I may have an explanation."

Duncan unlocked the door into his apartment and held it open. "Um, come on in?" "Such a timid little gentleman, are you?" Courtney walked into the apartment, and Duncan followed, closing the door behind him. "Nice place you've got here. It feels very down to Earth. Not like the iHomes that I have visited." "Well, most apartments now and days aren't fully computerized yet, just the right amount of technology, to keep it feeling like the good old days." "It's sophisticated, but has the feel of the presence of a young man, the feeling of warmth, safety, and…loneliness?" Courtney wondered silently. "I have a dog, just warning you. Speaking of him, where is he?" He scanned his home with worry that Courtney could visibly see, she thought it was adorable that he worried for his pet. Scooter scampered towards them from behind the kitchen counter. Duncan got down to his knees as his companion welcomed him home. "Hey boy, I missed you! Were you behaving today?" He pet Scooter than stood up. "No more than usual, Duncan!" Scooter looked over at Courtney, "Well, hello there. My name's Scooter. Did Duncan bring you home as a guest or as a friend with benefits?" "Scooter, shut up!" He scolded, and then rolled his eyes. "You know damn well…what I do in my personal life. Besides that, Courtney Lopez is here to rest. She's visiting this town and needs a place to crash." "I'm also here to answer a few questions of his." "It's a pleasure to meet you, Courtney." "Likewise, Scooter. You are so cute!" She got down on her knees and cuddled him, petting him so lovingly, and scratching behind his soft ears in such a way, he wished he was a human man. Scooter licked Courtney's cheek and trotted off before he began acting like a typical Chihuahua. "Such an adorable dog you've got." "Yeah, he's alright. He can remind me of myself most the times. Please, take a seat, make yourself at home." They sat on the couch together, but tried to distance themselves, and awkwardly scooted to their ends of the couch. "So, tell me why I shouldn't consider those two students insane?" Courtney took a deep breath, to calm herself, then replied, "My father, was the man who had the idea of ERA. He pitched the idea to the president, it was created, occupied with some of the best newer soldiers the army could train, and he commands it, on hand most the time." "So?" "I'm still in touch with my mother, although I disowned everyone else in the family…I thought what she told me over the phone last week, was a lie."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three- Betray Me

**"It's hard to believe they're doing such things. Haven't they done enough?**

No, apparently, they haven't. There plan to recreate this world has gone on for too long, but…I have a feeling this is only the beginning". She finished washing the dishes and walked into her bedroom. "Just a nap, that's what I need." She fell asleep in her running thoughts.

"What do they plan to do to repopulate the world? We are all only human, and how would they plan to stop the rapists out there?" She woke up gently, after an hour of sleep, but she continued to lie in her bed, with her dark brown eyes closed. She snuggled her weathered tan face into her soft pillow, and ran her arms across the sheets on the empty side of the bed. "Satin…satin sheets and a king sized bed." She sighed happily, "Maybe this isn't so bad; my husband spoils me like a queen, using the big amounts of money he earns in his paychecks from this army of his. It's weird knowing that he commands and owns it, but reassuring that he made himself a soldier in it too." She opened her eyes wide when she felt a cold, hard, metal object against the back of her head. "Good morning, my love," he whispered coldly to her ears, "Remember when you said you would always support me," she heard a gun being cocked behind her, "no matter what I do?"

* * *

><p>Yep, one of the shortest chapters here. Care to make a few guesses about what's going on here? Please? I love sharing my imagination and studying other people's imaginations and guess too! X3 My first author's note, yayness!<strong><em> I will try<em>** to upload one new chapter every **weekday**, but I've been uploading these first few because they were already done. So yah...review please!** -DoodlezQueen-TDI**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four- You Lied to Her**

**"Could it be true?" Duncan thought.**

"So ERA is going to make all states give the death penalties to incoming murderers, and make them execute all current imprisoned murderers?" "Yes, and they same rules apply to assaulters and drug dealers. So that's why those students were fighting. One had a father in prison for drug dealing, and the other's father was the soldier that executed said drug dealer." "Damn…well, it will repopulate the world accordingly, and then they will stop killing people, right?" "I hope so," she sighted, "because it is a horrible way to lower population on Earth. It's also horrible being related to the creator and commander of ERA." "Unbelievable…would you like something to eat or drink?" "Even at a moment like this, you manage to be a gentleman?" she thought about it for a moment, "Got any strawberries?" Duncan nodded and traveled to his kitchen and retrieved strawberries from his fridge. "How adorable," he thought, "she wants to eat sweet strawberries as if she's an innocent little girl…I doubt she's innocent with those looks." He took out a small bowl from his cabinet and plopped some berries into it. "These are usually for Scooter." He reminded himself, "Oh, I'm sure he won't mind."

"Why?" Courtney wondered, "Why is this guy being so nice to me? More importantly, why am I in his house alone with him? I don't even recall ever getting along with his type back when I was in school! So why am I still here?" "Courtney?" a familiar voice asked with care, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." "Here are some strawberries. I also got you some water." Duncan took his seat next to her, and this time, he didn't scoot away from her side. "I love strawberries." Courtney said adoringly, "Would you like one?" "I'm not sure I like them. Those aren't mine; they're actually a common treat I give Scooter, for his own health." "Would you like to try one?" "No, I don't think I-" completely ignoring his protest, Courtney gently stuffed a berry into his mouth and made him try them. He chewed, out of pure natural reflex. "It's good to try new things. Isn't it delicious?" She smiled sweetly. Just to see how her freckles seemed to make her smile that much more sweet and lovable made Duncan's heart melt. He nodded in response. "That wasn't so bad. Thanks for pushing me into trying it." "No problem." Courtney giggled. She then took a bite out of a strawberry. Duncan just watched her, he savored the moment, watching her every move. It gave him as much enjoyment as a Playboy Magazine would give to a hormonal teenage boy. "She's just eating a strawberry," he told himself subconsciously, "why are you overreacting about it? She's just eating that sweet…red…juicy little strawberry…you're a pushover!" He then realized how she made a bit of a juicy mess on her face when she bit into a plump berry and she was embarrassed. "That's okay; don't be ashamed, we all go crazy over certain foods."

He grabbed a napkin from the small pile he brought over and wiped the juice off her face; He absolutely loved the way she scrunched her nose when he did so. "He's so sweet." Courtney thought, "He just barley met me and he's acting as if he's known me for years!" Then she noticed something, their faces were now closer to each other, they were leaning in towards each other, closer and closer, ever so slowly. She felt her face heating up and couldn't help but blush. "What amazing eyes." She thought, "How can he have such an amazingly piercing color like that? It's as bright as two shining orbs, as bright as…his neon colored Mohawk." She just realized said hairdo propped atop his head. "How is it that it doesn't seem to creep me out like it did when other guys had it at my old schools? The same goes for his piercings…oh, but he makes them look so incredibly attractive." "Her eyes are like two shining universes. They're deep, everlasting, have a brilliant shine, but they are brown, no not black, just a wonderfully dark shade of brown…"

They wasted no time in closing their eyes and leaning towards each other closer, faster, wanting to kiss, until Scooter began a barking fit. Courtney jumped out of her seat, startled. "What's wrong?" Duncan asked as he ran towards his room, Courtney followed. They found Scooter staring at the alarm clock radio on the nightstand aside Duncan's bed. "Listen! You need to hear this! What Courtney said was a lie!" "What?" Courtney asked in shock and confusion, completely forgetting the moment she was about to have with her acquaintance.

"I will repeat our in-coming news report: this just in, ERA commander, Antonio Lopez's wife was found dead in her satin sheeted bed. Autopsy reports state Mrs. Angel Lopez was murdered with a shot to the back of her head. Oh, we're now tuning in to a live press conference held by Commander Antonio Lopez." "Listen now! It's not live, just a re-round recording!" Scooter informed. "World," Antonio Lopez said, "although I grieve my wife's death, I know who did it." They heard recorded gasps from news reporters who listened. "An ERA soldier killed her. He, whoever he was, won't be punished. No, he really was doing us a favor by productively showing the world our new plan to accordingly repopulate this planet. ERA will give the safe solution by executing those whose lives are worthless to us. All imprisoned murderers, drug dealers, and assaulters will be executed. All who are being proven guilty to said crimes are also considered dead men. My wife, you may ask? Well, she too had a meaningless _housewife_ existence. To the soldier who brought this to our attention, I salute you. You are not in trouble, soldier, you are rewarded. No further information for today."

Courtney's heart broke into pieces, again! She fell to her knees and immaturely pounded the ground. "Why? You're lying through your damn teeth! You motherfucker, you lied to her! You fuckin' lied!" She began sobbing because her mom was the only family she had left.

Duncan felt bad, but somewhat distracted. "Why?" he wondered to himself, "Why would he say she deserved to die?" He ignored it and was on his knees, aside Courtney. "I'd hate to ask it, but why did he say all of that?" "Didn't you hear? Oh, my 'father' has ways of subtly hiding things within a sentence. He's going to kill people who basically bring no income; poor people, jobless people. I know that he also killed her, All along, he assured us pure security. He said he told my mom everything. He lied to her! He hid the fact he would kill jobless people and her! My mother is dead! My only family left!" Duncan comforted her, Scooter could only behave accordingly. Duncan found himself embracing her. With full compassion and sympathy in his voice, he told her, "Don't worry, it'll be alright soon."

They further acquaintance themselves, and then went their separate ways…

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><p>This isn't the end, folks! Nope, because a new chapter will come, and it will be one chapter that has absolutley everything to do with how duncan and courtney feel for each other. What will happen when the rebelious professor and the intelligent and preppy scientist meet again? stay tuned to find out! (Chris impression, totally nailed it XD)<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five-It's Been Awhile**

**Five long months had passed since that day. They were now friends, distanced friends, and they had forgotten the moment they could've had.**

"I miss her." Duncan said to himself in his classroom. It was silent; he gave those students an exam, so he had time to think. He had learned a lot about her more the week after her mother's death, when they decided to become friends. "She seemed simply sweet," he thought, "but, she's far more complex. The real Courtney is the opposite of me! The real Courtney is uptight, busy, bossy, spoiled like a little princess! She even likes to claim how far more intelligent she is than me. Courtney angers easily, too, and when I give her a reason, she challenges me back…" He sighed aloud, and leaned back in his chair. "Although she can piss me off, that's exactly what I like that about her. Courtney is the only woman who really challenges me, who can really make me want to piss her off more than she may have pissed _me_ off…She's the only one who hasn't fallen for me as easily as some sluts I've dated had…they only wanted to show me off. The y wanted to show off how they got to kiss a 'bad boy' and although it was annoying, I'd let them have that moment. Who am I to crush a women's need to feel special among others? They just want some people to be jealous of them-"

He stopped his running thoughts, "What else? Oh yah, Courtney…is the only one who makes my heart melt! When she _does_ enjoy her times with me, she laughs, she smiles, and my god, does it make me want her more!"

The bell rang and his last class left, turning in their exams. Duncan wouldn't see his students until after the Winter Break. He began erasing the notes on the white boards, passing over the one thing he hadn't erased in 5 months; Courtney Lopez's name. He stared at it, in awe of the sophisticated name. He stared at it in awe of the sophisticated cursive, and in awe of its slightly girly "bubbliness." "She doesn't like you. She doesn't even know how you feel." He said to himself, solemnly. Loneliness, ice-cold loneliness is what he felt inside again.

"Long time," Courtney thought as she "drove" along the highway, "It's been a long damn time and I miss him. Wait, I miss him?" She layed down in her seat which was as long as an old limo seat, "Of course I miss him." She answered herself aloud. "He's my friend. Although he pisses me off a lot, I care about him. That's why I'm going to visit him." The fact that he pestered her, that he **dared **challenge her was why she cared. "He's attractive too." She admitted. He challenged her, teased her, tested her pride, called her pet names and it annoyed the hell out of her! He is the only man who could charm her, make her blush, make her heart swoon. "Opposites attract," she told herself, giving into her emotions, "its chemistry and human nature…he likes those things!" She giggled. "Final destination reached: NUNLV reached." Her automated iCar announced. "New Modern University of Nevada Las Vegas…I hope you're here, Duncan."

He hadn't realized it, but he'd been standing there, staring at her name, for a bit over 15 minutes. He shook his thoughts away and continued to erase his notes from the board, but he didn't dare make her name disappear. "You've kept my name there for this long?" A soothingly familiar voice behind him asked. Duncan turned around and found Courtney sitting on one of his student's desks, right in the front row. "It's her!" he thought, "Oh, how your voice sounds like a gift from Heaven to me right now!" He wouldn't admit it, so he smirked and said, "Students put their belongings on that desk; I'm sure you need to get your ass off it." She rolled her eyes and walked over to him.

Same old Duncan, I see?" She looked over at his desk, where all the paperwork was piled up into a mess. She just **had** to straighten it up, for _her_ own good, not _his_. "Same old obsessive Courtney, I see?" He chuckled. "So why did you keep my name on your board?" Duncan stood silent, stirring up a lie to tell her. He shrugged and said, "I have three giant boards; enough room for over a month. I don't have to erase _everything. _What's it to you, sunshine?" "There he goes again," she thought, "more pet name calling…he thinks he can endear me…damn, does it work!" She couldn't help but smile. "I watched you wipe away everything, but my name." She giggled, and he was embarrassed that she found out he was lying to her.

Neither one knew who made the move first, but they ended up going for a walk around campus. "How has life been for you?" She asked. "The same as the last time I saw you." That was all he could admit to. It meant he was still being on that edge of depression. Before he met her, he began feeling more alone than ever before. After they met, it somehow got worse, but better. When she was around him, he felt so accompanied, so wonderful, but when she left, the pain came back, stinging more than before. He wouldn't tell her that, though. Courtney broke the silence again, "Are you okay?" She even stopped walking just to hear him answer. "Chill out, Courtney." He stopped walking too, "I'll be honest with you. My life isn't exactly all that…put together." She looked so confuse. He sighed and tried to continue explaining, but was interrupted by her caught-off-guard comment. "I missed you, Duncan, a lot." She couldn't look at him straight in the eyes, but blushed wildly, assuring him that what she said was so true. "I missed you too." He found himself hugging her again. Her hair smelled so good to him, and he couldn't take his self control much longer, so he cuddled his face into her soft hair.

"He smells so good!" She thought as she buried her face into his strong chest. "It's like a pheromone. He's completely intoxicating." "Woohoo! Go for it, Professor Brown!" Some of his students cheered as they passed by the scene. Duncan pulled away from her. "I'm sorry for invading your personal-" "Don't be sorry," she demanded, "not unless you really mean it. I liked the hug!" She smiled. "I like seeing you smile." He shamelessly admitted. She smiled even more, trying to hide it. "Oh, don't hide that smile, cutie!" He pulled her hand away from her face. "Hey, want to go somewhere for dinner?" She eagerly nodded. "It's been awhile, princess. I want to spoil you. Come by my apartment in an hour and I'll treat you to a nice dinner." "He did it again, he made my heart flutter…I've got a date with him!" She thought and squealed with glee, on the inside of course.

Courtney never recalled making such a fast buy before! She bought it right after she tried it on! While riding to Duncan's home, she changed into it, seeing as iCars are just entertainment and solitary driving chambers. She hoped it was being too fancy, or too informal. Pushing the fear away, she began applying make up to touch up her features. "I want him to want me more than anything else."

"I hope I'm not making a fool out of myself." He said as he got ready for his date. "You'll look fine." Scooter assured him, "Wine her, dine her, then get laid." Duncan turned to him quickly. "Don't talk about her like that! Did you ever once think about helping me with anything else besides helping me get laid?" "I just think that at your age, most guys would've had a handful of-" "So what? Now I'm weird because I've never-" the doorbell rang "—that's Courtney!" He ran off. "You _would_ get excited over a doorbell."

"Courtney?" When he answered the door, he stared at her in awe. She was wearing a classic: a little black dress. It went down just above her knees, and it fit her tightly, hugging those full curves. It had no straps, and that was the amazing part about the simple dress! It wasn't simple if it was on a complex body. Even without support from straps, she seemed to have "full support". "Wow, she's hot." He said to himself, biting his lip and checking her out. Her eyes, he noticed, seemed even bolder and beautifully wide; her dark and long lashes fluttered at him so carefully. "P-Please come inside." He stuttered. She giggled at his nervousness and walked in. "I'm running a bit late. I had to make a few stops on the way home, so I'll be ready in a few minutes." He walked into his room.

Courtney wasn't prepared for what happened next. Duncan came out of his room, ready for his date, and his look literally made her have to cross her legs. "He's _so_ handsome!" She thought. She was ecstatic to see him dressed so maturely. He wore a black tuxedo shirt underneath a dark green tuxedo vest, with a tie complimenting it, which was slightly lighter than the shade of the vest. His black tux pants weren't average tuxedo pants; they were uniquely "punk-rock" as he'd say. "He's being himself, just with a bit more class." She thought.

He walked over to her; she stood up from the couch, ceasing to bite her lip. "Courtney, like I've said before, it's been awhile since I've seen you. Too long of a while, if you ask me." He smiled, actually smiled at her! "Five months was too long for me." Courtney nodded. His face was getting closer to hers, and he even gently pulled her hair back behind her face. She felt the heat coming off his skin the closer he got, and closed her eyes.

"He's going to kiss me!" she thought, "He's going to finally kiss me! Am I ready?"

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><p><strong>Omg is she? Stay tuned to find out. Let me know if this was okay plz? <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six-I Won't Forget This Date**

"**W****hy is he rubbing my neck? Oh, who cares?"**

Courtney savored his touch, it soothed her. "When will he kiss me already?" She thought with frustration. "Courtney? Do you like it?" a voice brought her out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes, slightly disappointed, until she felt something cold move on her chest. She looked down at it. "Oh, my goodness," she gasped, "Quick, I need to look in a mirror!"

Duncan grabbed a ladle from his kitchen. It was the closest reflective object he had. Courtney gladly used it to see her reflection. "So, do you like it?" "This necklace is beautiful!" Hanging on her neck from a silver metal lace, was a 24k white-gold pendant in the shape of the outlines of a heart. Little 14k diamonds encrusted the pendant. How did Courtney know how pure the pendant was? She had an eye for jewelry of course! "It reminded me of you; small, glowing with life, shiny like those sparkles in your eyes, and so very delicate. It's just an outline of a heart, the middle is empty space because…it reminded me of your heart….someone needs to fill it up with care." He sounded a tad nervous. Courtney's smile shined as much as her pendant as she said, "I love this gift! Thank you so much! You're such a sweetheart!" She tenderly kissed his cheek, which made him blush and chuckle like a teenage nerd who got kissed by the prettiest girl in school. "Anytime, princess."

They rode to the restaurant in silence. "Scooter was right," he thought, "she's the one…and I _want_ her." It wasn't like he had never been turned on before, he just never felt this feeling he had burning in his heart. Heartburn, was it? Nope, it wasn't. This woman was just _so damn_ attractive to him, she was actually intelligent too, and he made _him_ _worry_ for _her_ safety. Was it love? He wasn't sure…the word scared him ever since his mother abandoned him. "…I don't want to lose her." He thought whole-heartedly as he glanced over at Courtney.

Courtney was at lost for words at that moment. She clutched the pendant with care, and nervousness. "What did he mean by that? He said someone needed to fill my heart with care…is he referring to love too…is he referring to himself?" She stole a glance at him; he looked worried. "Is he nervous? Oh, just what is he thinking? I wish I knew!" She let go of the pendant and let it fall back onto her chest. She realized something important to her, "Oh, Duncan…do you…love me?" Her head began to throb with pain from her swirling thoughts and emotions. She felt the emptiness in her heart ever since she ran away from home, but now, it felt entirely different. Now, it felt filled with affection, filled with…love. "How can you fall in love so fast? You just missed him, that's all," She scolded herself. "Why would you miss him…if you _didn't_ care?"

They arrived at their date location. Courtney gasped in shock again. "It's beautiful!" Duncan had brought her to an expensive elegant restaurant with most of its tables located in an outdoor garden. Statues, fountains, and beautifully lush landscaping made Courtney truly feel like a princess. "You're spoiling me." She scolded. He shrugged. "It's not like I don't want to. You may get on my nerves sometimes, but I prefer your smile over your annoying nagging." "I do not nag! I just correct-" "—My mistakes?" He sounded emotionless. "…I'm sorry. I don't deserve any of this." He stopped her from going back into the iCar. "Don't feel bad. I'm lying, okay? I think you're…cute when you're angry." He blushed.

Without anymore arguments, they took their seats in the garden, laminated only by candle lit lamps, the many stars twinkling above, and the full moon. After ordering, Duncan couldn't help but notice how Courtney gazed up at the night sky. "Full moons make you _freaky_?" He chuckled. "That may be _good_ news for me." He thought. She didn't know what he meant by that, but she shook her confusion away. "I love the stars and moon. Ever since I was little, I'd always stargaze and wait to see the moon's full beauty." "They remind me of your eyes." "Pardon?" "The stars remind me of that sparkle in your eyes, and the moon reminds me of the glow that emits from you. So beautiful, so soft, so radiant, and filled with this feeling of…I don't know how to describe it….filled with this feeling of…pure angelic safety." "How can I _not _love him?" Her mind yelled.

After a few glasses of wine each, the y began loosening up; they forgot their dinner was even right in front of them, so they talked. "I can honestly say," Courtney claimed, finishing a story she had started," that those men learned their lesson: never play poker with me, act sexist about it, and believe you'll still win the loot." "I didn't know you had it in you." "I am not entirely behaved. You don't know me entirely." That whole time they loosened up, they had had switched off telling stories of their not-so-behaved adventures. He pulled her chair next to his own and smiled at her. "Maybe I want to get to know you _entirely_." She gently cupped her hands under his chin, pulling his face close, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. That's when it happened. It all started at that moment.

Sparks flew alright. They flew from the spout of a sawed-off shotgun. The bullet flew and took down a busboy. The entire restaurant went into a frenzied state as the small group of ERA soldiers invaded the garden. They shot down other restaurant workers too! Duncan tightened his hold on Courtney and sprinted away from the scene, carrying her over his shoulder. He threw her into a large hedge and jumped into it.

"Ouch! That wasn't comfy!" "You're welcome!" Regardless of the slight argument, Courtney held his enwrapped her arm around his, sliding her hand into his and gripping it tightly. "What's going on?" She asked. "You don't know?" He replied as he too tightened the hand-hold, in a protective manner. He wasn't scared for himself, he was scared for the safety of his princess. "You're father's plan," he finally said, "is happening now. The people who barely make ends meet…they're beginning to be executed. The killings are starting now." Courtney's eyes filled with tears. "All those innocent, young souls…" She saw more and more young waiters, waitresses, and busboys being killed by brute force. Bodies layed all around the horrific scene, blood splattered all upon them, and they were so coldly motionless. She wanted to scream at those bodies. Scream at them to get up and run, find somewhere safe to hide, but none of that would've prevented this.

Bang! Another young soul. Bang! There goes the country's future. Bang! He was so innocent….wait! That was a restaurant costumer! He seemed pretty wealthy! This time it was Duncan who gasped in disbelief. "They're killing-"

Before he could finish, he realized the soldiers had brought their big time executioner. Their ultimate weapons were now exposed. "They brought the Super Nova V16!" He said breathlessly. "No." He pushed Courtney down onto her back. "What are you doing? Are you seriously saying they brought-" "Cover your eyes!" He layed next to her, on his side, and covered her eyes. She shut her eyes tight, as did Duncan. Then they heard it. The loud piercing, whistling sound that could drive a dog mad. They felt the heat of a summer in the middle of Nevada (the kind that used to happen back before ERA's weather control stations) only the heat was multiplied by 10. They sat waited and hoped that they were still alive.

"Super Nova V16's were a new weapon my father created when I had run away." Courtney thought, "It could duplicate the brightness of a star's supernova explosion and even duplicated some of its heat, keeping it all contained in the two big containers that looked like giant oxygen tanks. The gun was like a firefighter's hose. It was connected to its source by two metal hoses. Its spout wasn't what you would usually see on a gun; it looked more like a big, flat, circle-shaped mirror was glued to the end of a gun. It looked clumsy and like a hassle, but it became the world's next big war machine. It could burn anyone within its path, and blind anyone who wasn't in the direct path of the mirror. I was a straight shot, but it wasn't at the same time. Now I see everything so clearly…"

Victoria opened her eyes at last, when the piercing whistle stopped. Duncan's hand was gone from her face, yet she didn't look for him. She looked through the hedge and gasped as she saw a soldier walking around, looking for survivors. He came towards the hedge she hid in. Duncan gently, but quickly covered her mother and held her closely. He then whispered to her, "No matter what happens, I will always protect you." The soldier stepped towards the hedge. He began poking his gun into the hedge, trying to find a living person.

Duncan was a step ahead; the entire time of the Super Nova shutter, he used one hand to shield Courtney's eyes, shut his own eyes as tight as possible, and used his other hand to quickly search for an item to distract a soldier with if he were to search for survivors in the hedge. He had grabbed an egg from a bird's nest and let the gun break it in his hand with a quick jab. The soldier looked disgusted when he pulled out his gun and thought he had killed an egg, so he walked away, assured there were no surviving witnesses or restaurant workers. "I'm sorry, egg." Duncan thought. Courtney slowly sat up. "My father has turned ERA into…into a modern day Nazi group! This is like…a New World Holocaust, to kill off the poor people, and the witnesses of the attacks…" She whispered. "And it all started here, tonight…who knows where else they attacked." "No one, if they succeed killing all witnesses." "They didn't kill us, though." "I know that…this is a day I won't soon forget. I will hope that the children of the future hear about this and learn not to repeat history_ again_. I will never forget this date. We will inform others of this." She declared. "How can we?" She finally questioned herself. "I don't know," Duncan said, "yet."

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><p><strong>So Duncan and Courtney finally went on a date here hu? And im sorry but yes i had to end it with disaster. why? because this story isnt just romance and no plot! So yah, this is some Sci-Fi alright. ERA has secretly declared a new world holocaust, except they plan to kill all poor people, as Duncan and Courtney find out...or is there more? OF COURSE THERE IS! Well, Nostradomus did predict 3 Anti-Christs right? My uncle says it was Nepolian, Hitler, and some person in the future still to come. I decided to make that part of the story, and it happens to be courtney's dad XP okay.<strong>

**So thnx for all the hits! I didnt know this story would be that good. Sorry for the late update by the way, it takes me only like a few hours within a day to write one chapter (yes even this long or longer) but it takes me days to type it. Why? Interuptions like me little baby brother, my grandma since this is her computer, myself, and my friends. But hey! School work always comes before typing too! I discipline myself dammit! So thank you all for reading! Next chapter's coming up! I will try to get it updated soon! Please review, pretty PLEEEASSE? I really do like hearing what you have to say after reading a certain chapter. Okay until next time, stay tooned for more dramatic Repopulation! **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven- Declarations

**Duncan and Courtney had managed to safely retreat back to Duncan's apartment.**

"My car," Courtney said as they sat on the couch, "they destroyed my car!" "I think that's not the true issue here, Courtney." He reminded her. "I know that! I'm just pissed off on so many levels! How could I a blood relative of the world's 3rd anti-Christ?" "You believe in that Nostradamus crap?" "I like to think of it as _paranormal philosophy_, not predictions or 'crap.'" He thought about it and agreed with her; after all, he did have his love for philosophy.

"What are we going to do, Duncan? We're witnesses. We can't just alert the media and not expect it to work against us! Besides, ERA _did_ announce their plans to the country." "We know in our hearts that this is wrong! Everyone has values and morals! Another type of help is out there for us. Does ERA really expect America to allow them to kill many of the people who live here? Does ERA think the world would let it happen everywhere?" "I'm not sure." "What do you mean?" "ERA was once a thing for just this country and now it's for the world. They're half-way there!" "If they gain more power…they'd be as unstoppable as Nazi Germany once was, except…this _is_ America. We have the most power in the world in these ages." "Who can help?" "I don't know, but as long as your father stays at the same level of power he has now, we have time to plan for the worst."

"I guess we could do that…Duncan, I'm still scared." "Why? You make enough money as a research scientist." "What about you? You're a teacher-"

"—Professor-" "A teacher, all the same! Last time I checked, Nevada isn't all that good with money and funding education plus teacher's pockets." "You're…worried about me?" "Of course." Courtney sat in Duncan's lap, which took him by surprise. "I _am_ your girlfriend, right? I should be worrying about your safety." "Girlfriend?" He was speechless. Her words echoed so softly in his ears, so lovingly. "Wow, Courtney's my girlfriend." He said it aloud, and she giggled. "…Did I just say that? I—I meant to think it…" She smiled. "You're such a sweetheart." "I can be romantic, too." "Romantic, you say?" "Yah…there's something I have to tell you…I'm-" "Oh, my goodness, you're going to tell her that you're a virgin? Finally!" Scooter interrupted Duncan. "What?" Courtney asked. Duncan turned pale, for he was mortified. The beautiful women her began falling for now knew his most embarrassing secret.

He backed away. "Umm…the guest room is…there." He walked into his bedroom and closed the door. "There isn't a guest room, just 1 bedroom." Scooter said with confusion. Courtney sighed and slumped back into the couch.

"He didn't have to walk away…he's not the only one. I'm no whore either." Scooter turned to her, surprised. "You're a virgin too?" "I've been waiting for the special one…_he_ won't even kiss me." She began tearing up

"Great," Duncan thought, "just great! Now she thinks I'm a loser. I'm 25 years old and I act like it, but I haven't…" Scooter was by his side now, and nuzzled Duncan's leg. "She doesn't think any less of you. In fact, you both share this in common, you're both innocent." "She's innocent? So…she really is an angel. How did you get in here?" Scooter pawed at Duncan's feet. "I opened the door! Now get up and go for her, _muchacho_!" Without another word, Duncan proudly walked back to Courtney and took her hands in his. He sat next to her and looked into her eyes, deeply.

His body filled with this white hot, happy, and sensational feeling he hadn't ever felt before. She saw softness in his eyes, and then his lips moved to form words she would never forget. "Courtney, I love you. I know it seems impossible to be able to fall in love with someone so fast, but I believe that if it's true love, it can happen at first sight…I believe it was love at first sight for me." He kissed her hand as a kind, gentlemanly jester. "I love you, Princess." She embraced him and tears ran down her face. "I love you too!" Duncan was so ecstatic; the woman he loved had felt the same for him! He felt it again, that burning passion, and it had spread all over his body. He enjoyed it, and couldn't help but run his hands up Courtney's back, deeply massaging her dress-covered back.

She felt her muscles tense-up; the way he massaged her made her body explode with feelings of ecstasy. She couldn't help throwing her head back, revealing her soft, bare neck (aside the necklace she wore.) She felt cold jolts run down her spine when she felt soft kisses being placed on her neck and collarbone. "Duncan," she whispered, "I love you." Those soft words set him on; he picked her up and carried her, bridal-style, into his bedroom. He gently set her down on her back. She kicked off her heels. "My dress-" "I'll take care of it." He assured her. He slipped his hands under her back, found the zipper, and pulled it slowly. He savored her pleas for him, savored the ecstasy that he could feel and hear from her fastening breathing. "Tonight," he thought, "my world will change, I just know it." He saw Courtney arch her back to make the unzipping faster, and heard her gasp passionately when he happened to run his fingers down her baring back while he unzipped. "Be patient, darling." He whispered as he smirked.

Scooter was watching T.V. in the living room. "Those crazy kids," He thought, "just couldn't wait to get it on." He watched his program, listening into his owner's predicament. His show was interrupted by the city's news station and then Scooter read the caption of the press conference. He gasped and howled for his owner. "Duncan! Duncan come back, please! Daddy, Courtney, look!"

Duncan immediately stopped unzipping Courtney's dress. "He hadn't called me Daddy since…" without finishing his flashback, he ran back into the living room, Courtney followed, groaning with frustration. "Duncan, come on." She beckoned. "You might want to watch this, Court," Scooter barked, "it's more important." Courtney and Duncan looked at the television and the caption read: Commander Antonio Lopez "Press Conference of the Century." "Just what the fuck is he up to now?" Courtney demanded. The three watched in anticipation as Antonio Lopez approached the podium.

He looked overhead the crowd of journalists and news reporters. He was standing on the balcony of the city's recently rebuilt city hall. He inhaled deeply, proudly ready to approach the country-no-the world, and with a solution! He felt good, and approached the mikes. "Nevada…America…World, lend me your ears. I bring you news and a solution to a multiple set of problems. First order of business, President Richard A. Hartman is here to begin." He stepped aside as the President walked to the podium with a piece of paper in his hand. He somberly spoke, "America, I can no longer handle this country, for I am too old. Besides, the government needs someone to solve all the unresolved issues. So, I am here by resigning; I am retiring. I sign over my power, for the next three years of my term, to Antonio Lopez." The press gasped. He raised a pen and the document in the air for all to see.

"Sir, what about the Vice President?" A journalist asked. "There is a reason Commander Lopez is receiving power." Hartman sternly said, "He is fit for this role. He has direction for this country, even the world. Commander Lopez's intentions will better lead this country into a safer place! This man, Antonio Lopez, will change history!" Never did her know he'd be absolutely correct, except that history would repeat itself, with the power ten-fold.

Without another word, Richard A. Hartman signed over his power to Antonio Lopez. Antonio smiled slyly and shook Hartman's hand. "Good luck, Commander-I mean- President Lopez." "Mr. Hartman," Antonio emotionlessly said, "I advice you _not_ to leave the premises." The two ERA soldiers that were on the balcony guarded the doorway which lead back into the building. The cocked their assault rifles. "Stand down, Mr. Hartman." Antonio said coldly as he turned to the podium.

"Citizens of America don't be afraid. I am here to help. This nation will become an ERA nation! I know that if we do, our world will be safe again as others follow our footsteps. We must first start with the most serious issues: over population. There are too many worthless lives polluting our world. How to solve this crisis? First order of business, execute all prisoners who have committed felonies. Secondly, find and arrest homeless and jobless bums, then execute them. Finally, exterminate the poor. How to start? I will begin by wiping out Nevada."

The press gasped and people began to panic around the courtyard. ERA soldiers dispatched from several modern-day military iJeeps. They quickly surrounded the courtyard and all, simultaneously, shot a round of bullets in the air. The press stopped and looked up to Lopez. "Order, I want your attention! Listen to me, all of you! Nevada's economy is the worst in this country; jobs are so limited. All of the better-paid citizens are advised to evacuate into Los Angeles, California. All but three highways to Los Angeles will be closed. At the middle of said highways will be ERA soldier-guarded checkpoints. They are to search your belongings for hazards or proof that you are not to pass. You, who can evacuate, must bring all paperwork, passports, and a check containing your entire bank account's money. The soldiers will follow their guidelines and indicate if you may pass. If not, you will be automatically executed, body disposed of, and your vehicle will be parked aside, it will later be destroyed."

"Sir, what about Vegas?" Everyone gasped as they took in the newscaster's question. "Las Vegas…Viva Las Vegas…I am not planning to bomb Nevada. I am ordering a house-to-house search and building-to-building search. The entire valley will be combed as my soldiers exterminate all who inhabit it during the search! If worse comes to worst, people will only get to visit the ruins left of Vegas. Farewell, Nevada. Remember, ERA is here to protect you." He sounded full of care at the last minute. "Earth Rebuilding Army, We Are Protectors!" shouted the ERA soldiers. It seemed so cruel, yet all the press members began cheering for Antonio Lopez! They chanted his name!

"They believe him! They think he will actually _help_ the cause?" Courtney yelled in frustration."It-it can't be true." Duncan stammered, "How is this happening? Have we not learned from our past, our history?" He angrily flipped over the coffee table with one kick. "Why is this happening now? Why does history have to repeat itself? Why now?" Courtney burst into tears. "What do we do now?" she asked. "It's over," Scooter said, "it's all over."

"No, it's not over. It's not over until I fuckin' say it's over!" Duncan sternly declared. "ERA will not win this fight, not this time; they've gone too far. Antonio Lopez wants a new world order, a new movement? I'll give him it. I will wipe ERA off the face of the Earth, and I won't be stopped until I do." "How?" Courtney asked. "Organization, proper timing, and some time to think." "How long until your plan, Mr. President?" a voice from the television asked. "48 hours."

"That's all the time I need." Duncan said. "Time to plan our first move." "Our?" Courtney and Scooter said in unison. "I hate to drag you both into this, but I will need some help to plot against your father." "My pleasure to help." Courtney replied with a devious smile.

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><p><strong>So this took me awhile to post up...im so sorry! It took me only 6 minutes to write this, which is my longest chapter so far, but it took me several days to be able to get onto the computer! I have homework you know, and that always comes before this, sorry if thats "uncool" but being smart is cool to me. Anyways, when i finally did get to the computer, for some reason i wasnt able to get my document downloaded onto this so i waited another day for the computer to stop being a stupid jerk. Now its finally working and here's the chapter teehee! if you can, please review, i want to know what your thoughts are, especially on the slight love scene...i want to know if its good because that was my first time ever writing a lovescene hehe. i hope you enjoyed it! -DoodlezQueen-TDI<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight- 48 Hours

"**W**ho will help us rebel?" Courtney asked.

"It's so simple. All we have to do is use technology. Media is computerized now, so all we have to do is read reviews and comments on the situation. Blogs, news websites, podcasts, any one of those that opposes this idea your father came up with we will email them to join our fight. Then, we meet them and explain my plan." "What plan?" "I'll explain it after we recruit some rebels. I'll use my laptop." "I'll use my PDA." "I'll…interrogate the entire complex's pets! These apartment pets are all loyal and trustworthy; they'll give me info on their owner's opinions."

Without any more explanations, the three got down to work. "About two days to come up with a plan…it's about time I got to use this brain I was born with." Duncan thought. For the rest of that night, the three of them had successfully recruited a gang of 13 rebels, although they could've had over 36 members. There are always rebels around, but not many are actually brave enough to do something about the issues. Of those 13 brave members, Duncan knew right away that 3 would risk their lives within the Evacuation time, he just didn't know whether or not they were the members. Deep inside he felt as if it wouldn't just be him.

The entire gang met in an abandoned shelter for the homeless. Duncan, Courtney, and Scooter all personally greeted the gang. Duncan took a stand at a table that was at the very front of the set of tables; it was like a podium-table. Everyone grew silent when he stood on top of it. "There is obviously an issue-no-a crisis at hand. It just happens to need to occur here, in Nevada. Now, I have a plan to at least help the "poor" innocent people try to escape. I simply call it, Evacuation. So, after my research, I found out exactly all the checkpoint locations on those 3 escape highways Antonio Lopez is providing. If we destroy those checkpoint camps and their soldiers, we can safely release citizens onto the highway. Hopefully, we'll be safe. My priority right now is that more of the population of Nevada is alive after the house-to-house killings."

"Mr. Brown, is it? How so you presume to carry out this idea?" asked a familiar looking man. Duncan wondered why he looked so familiar, but shook the thought away. "My plan will make it possible! We will attack with pure stealth and we will need bravery most of all. Three different volunteers will drive cars up to these checkpoints. That's right, _drive_. I've found three old fashion cars in perfectly good shape for us to use. Now, at the checkpoints, the soldiers will check your car thoroughly. The checkpoints are like tollbooths; cars in line must keep a safe distance-" "—what are you getting to, Duncan?" Courtney asked. She had no idea of this plan of his, anyways. "We're using older cars. The ones with windows you can see out of, with a steering wheel. Gasoline-powered cars are still around, silly; iCars won't be able to carry out this attack anyways. Okay, so…car bombs will be used. Now, hear me out! The driver will obviously be on the side, being searched. This person will be left alone when the soldiers search the car, and this person must run off as fast as they can since the bomb will detonate at the exact perfect time! After the explosion, the soldiers and their precious checkpoint camp will be destroyed and we'll be able to evacuate most of Nevada." "How will communications be halted? What if someone who wants to rat us out for a reward says something in an email, text, something? Also, wouldn't a headquarters' radars be able to detect the explosion?" "That's what I'll take care of. Now, if you're interested in volunteering, let me know right here, right now."

The familiar looking man who spoke before now stood up. "Mr. Brown, I am Max Truscott, and I've been the news' anchorman for years, I'm 40 years old. I am well aware of the things ERA has done to this world! I know Earth wasn't in great condition in my days, but we had freedom, _real_ freedom. We've dreamt of the day our world would turn into an episode of The Jetsons-" "-Jetsons, what is that?" "…It was a cartoon on TV before my time, but it's so iconic, I know about it…I thought you would too, but never mind that. Anyways, now we're close to that world, but at what cost? Our freedom? Our reality? Our day-to-day pleasures of life? When's the last time you've ever felt raindrops fall on your skin? When's the last time you saw a cloud in the sky?"

_"__**Rain,**__" _Victoria thought,_ "and the clouds? I can't remember when I last experienced such things! Father had always tested his inventions in our private neighborhood…he had hooked up his first version of his weather control system to the neighborhood when I was…four? Yes, I was four…and I can't remember playing in the rain as normal little girls did…I can't remember laying down to look up at a cloudy sky and try to see the shapes they made, because there were no clouds…nothing but sunshine and a perfect 74 degrees temperature. Perhaps that's why I enjoy star gazing and looking up at the illuminating moon, because it's all I have left?" _"I know," continued Max, "that I'm putting myself at risk, but there's a reason I'm not dead yet. This is why I haven't committed suicide!" It seemed like a convincing reason to live to Duncan. Max's generation was like a massacre; the Suicide Generation or Gens, as some called it. Most of the humans of that generation felt the same as Max and couldn't handle their world as ERA's new canvas to paint, so they killed themselves; over 64 percent of them were found dead by suicide. Whether it was by use of cyanide, overdoses of pills, or bullets turned towards their own souls, a world without nature and reality, a world without simple daily pleasures, a world were all those things had become a "problem" which needed to be solved, didn't seem like such a perfect world anymore.

The familiar looking blond women stood up beside the man, now. "Max, I'm going with you!" The rusty redhead turned around to face her. "Why? You're talking nonsense now." "We've been partners for years, neither of us is even married, and if you die…I want to die with you." "What the hell are you saying?" "I…I can't imagine living without you. I need to come along with you, besides, I feel exactly the same as you do; this is why _I'm_ still alive!" "Who are you?" Duncan asked. "I'm Brianna Logos, co-anchor for the news of Las Vegas. I am begging you, let me help my dear childhood friend!" "…Sure, who am I to stop you from what you find to be your reason to live, your purpose of life. Just don't blow your covers. I need another volunteer." Duncan said. A former student of his, named Hiro, stood up. "I'll help destroy the second checkpoint." "Look, Hiro, you're just a kid." "Professor, if there's one thing you've taught me this year is that no matter how misunderstood you are, you are the only one who knows your true self, who you really are. I know who I am, I know who I can be! My name rings of the title 'hero,' so why can't I try to be one? Why was I named this if it wasn't my purpose to become one for myself and for at least someone else? I want to help save someone in need." "…Fine, have it your way, but you're only 20; savor your youth while you can, got it?" "Alright," Courtney said, "we still need a final volunteer for-" "—That won't be necessary, Courtney, I _am_ the last volunteer, I can do it." Courtney gasped along with the rest of the room. "By yourself?" "You're our group's leader, what will we do without you?" Brianna asked. "Oh, I'll be alive, believe it." Deep inside, Duncan didn't believe it, he knew he might die, he knew it was a huge odd, and he didn't care if he did so long as Courtney and Scooter escaped Nevada safely. "Duncan, what about us?" Courtney asked. "What are you talking about? We're going along with him, of course!" Scooter said fearlessly. "The plan goes down in 12 hours. Volunteers will meet at the junkyard that's not too far from here. Everyone will head for the highways into Los Angeles and we'll have exactly three hours to evacuate the state as much as possible. The lines at the checkpoints will be long, but our bombs will set off at the exact same time, so keep track of time."

"Mr. Brown," Max asked, "What do we call our little gang?" "…'What do we call ourselves,' you ask? Well…we are RAGE." "RAGE, what does that stand for?" "We are Rebels Against Government Enforcers." The entire gang stood up and chanted the name. "We know the plans, no everyone, dispatch! Inform the innocent of our plans!"

After most of RAGE left, Duncan, Courtney, and Scooter walked over to the junkyard with bags of supplies. "Duncan, you can't go alone," Courtney said, "I won't allow it!" "I can't risk you, Courtney, I can't! If you lose your life I will never forgive myself, and I will never forgive the ones you take it from you." "Right back at you, _tough guy_." "Stop fighting!" Scooter barked, "If anything, we have to be together right now!" "…Okay. I just don't want to lose either one of you…I promise you two, I will protect you, always. If I fail to do so, and either of you gets hurt, kill me." Without further arguments, they entered the junkyard to begin hooking up the explosives to the cars that had been chosen previously. Duncan would make the bombs with simple hardware items, Courtney hooked up the bombs to the cars, and Scooter guarded the area. Duncan and Courtney began searching the junkyard for decoy items such as luggage bags, boxes, photo frames, blankets, pillows, etc.

"_My plan…I hope it works."_ Duncan thought as he packed items into a car. He began stealing glances at Courtney every now and then, savoring the her and everything about her before he may lose himself, and that's when he noticed it. He hadn't kissed her yet. Yes, he kissed her neck, but he never kissed her lips yet, he hadn't felt the soft touch of her soft-looking, perfectly portioned, pouty lips. "_Then, we will all live," _he told himself, _"we will survive all 48 hours; we just have 24 left…we will survive this and the war. I will stop ERA, I will make sure Courtney and I have our moments long before any misfortune happens…because I love her; because of this love, we will live. Love strives all, love can make peace, harmony, and serenity."_ He looked over at Scooter as he passed by. _"I love you too, Scooter, you're like…the son I never had."_ Duncan's eyes went wide in shock. _"Am I…saying good-bye? No, never, I just said I will survive with him, with Courtney, with everyone I fight for! I have to get every feeling of negativity out of me, even the slightest hint of it could stop me in my tracks." _"Duncan?" He turned around and faced Courtney. She looked up at him, her onyx eyes beginning to show a hidden shade of brown in the sunlight. It never occurred to Duncan that her eyes could just be a really dark brown, now he felt stupid for not noticing such a unique aspect of the women he claimed to "know all about," but he shook the thought away. "Yes?" "_After we win_ the war against ERA, what will _we_ do?" He seemed to be set back at the pure determination and confidence she had about the situation; he wondered why _he_ couldn't be so optimistic and competitive.

"Hmm, that is quite a thought to ponder," and he did think about it for a moment or two, and then he said, "…I won't give away too much, but let me just say that after this war ends, and we make the world the way its suppose to be…I promise you, I'm going to make sure you never feel alone again…I think it sounds like a rather good idea for me to become the happiest man on Earth." Courtney smiled as if she didn't understand, and Duncan believed it, chuckling and patting her head gently, saying, "There there, in time you'll get it," but Courtney understood it completely.

After all, she was an intelligent scientist.

* * *

><p><strong>oh so im sure you can all take a hint right? teehee! so i AM SOOO SORRY that i didnt update in a while but i was busy with school ending and what now but now that its over i typed up this chapter and posted it hells ya! i know its not my best, for that i apologize again, but i assure you the next chapter's a big one, and the chapter after that will be even bigger considering i may only do about 20 chapters but you never know. So, will RAGE be able to scare ERA with their first attack? What will become of Nevada? How will Courtney's father deal with RAGE? Will the newscasters Max and Brianna ever be heard of in this story again? Will I ever admit that Hiro was a character inspired by an anime character of the same name? (yes i will!) what'll happen to Scooter? And what will become of Duncan and Courtney? Find out next time! XD<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine-Evacuation

**"_W__hat to do? How can I prevent tragedy? I'm just a scientist!"_ Courtney thought.**

As she waited with Duncan for the RAGE volunteers, she began drawing out possible conclusions of the Evacuation. It made her feel so useless, so helpless; she felt as if she had no way of protecting Duncan from danger. _"I'm such a puny woman…a petite…how can I fight to keep him alive?"_ She kept getting lost in the vortex of her thoughts until a strong hand gripped her shoulder, startling her. "Courtney? Stop gazing off, we need to get moving." "Where are the cars?" She asked as she realized two of the three cars were gone. "On their way to the checkpoints; we should be too, the bombs' timers have been set."

They walked over to their car Duncan so obviously chose. It was an old 2011 Camero with a jet black paint job and green (like Duncan's mohawk) stripes that used to be seen so much on Cameros back in 2011. Duncan threw a suitcase in the backseat and Scooter jumped into the back too. Duncan and Courtney sat inside and he started the car. He closed his eyes and smiled with satisfaction as he revved the engine. "That's one pleasure our generation no longer has with iCars…"

**11:30** at night: would they make it on time? The other volunteers were already so close to their checkpoints, but Duncan was running on thin ice. "Duncan, should I begin hacking communications in the area?" "The laptop's in my suitcase; start hacking, please." Even at times like that, Duncan told himself to remain kind to her. "Duncan, aren't we too close to the checkpoint for Courtney to do something as suspicious as hacking?" "No, Scooter, we need to throw out communications right now." He checked his watch. _"…**11:35**: we're close, but not close enough," _he thought, "_They're each third in line, so about five minutes until the bombs go off. Five minutes…we're not even fourth in line, we're fifth! What do I do?" _

**11:38**: Duncan was lucky enough to get to second in line, but how much longer would his luck stay? _"What to do? Does Courtney even know how dangerously close we are to failing? What about Scooter?" _Courtney closed the suitcase. "Communications have been shut down." She held his hand, "You do realize I'm aware of this time situation we're facing?" "I am too." "Really, you both are? Neither one of you are panicking." "We have faith in you." Scooter said, "We believe in _you_, and either way, we'll always be here for you, we'll always be with you." Duncan smiled. "Thanks you two, I love you both so much."

**11:39**: Duncan was barely parking at the tollbooth. "We need to run…on my mark." They got out and two soldiers searched him and Courtney. Scooter managed to sneak away to the line of cars that were at a safe distance from the checkpoint. Scooter got a thumbs up from the car next in line, a signal from a fellow RAGE member, then he barked loudly 3 times. "Now, Duncan!" Duncan punched the soldier who was searching him and slammed him into the car hood. He jumped over the hood of the car and kicked the other soldier, who was restraining Courtney, in the process and picked up Courtney. He ran quickly, carrying her, speed was what he wanted….

"**11:40**…we're too late."

At all 3 checkpoints, the plan began to work. The car bombs exploded simultaneously, making the gasoline ignite as well. The skies were filled with a shock of heat. Duncan and Courtney were thrown by the force of the explosion off the paved road. They rolled down the steep, rocky hills, like pieces of rubble and landed on dry desert vegetation.

"Duncan!" Scooter barked. He ran over to the edge of the paved road and looked for his beloved owner. "Ugh, you stupid, unappreciative, wastes of skin," A surviving soldier said, loading up his emergency pistol, "I'll do the president a favor and execute you all myself!" Duncan groaned as he sat up, the soldier smirked and aimed for him. "I'll never let you!" Scooter yelped as he pounced upon the soldier, sinking his sharp teeth into his arm, getting a locked hold as he shook his head side-to-side quickly. He felt it, the Wolf Ancestor within him was escaping, broiling, setting an ancient fire throughout his body; he would kill this soldier, or at least hold him off until Duncan escaped safely.

"What-what's going on?" Duncan muttered. He heard a man yelling and looked at the soldier on top the hill which held the highway. The soldier was about to shoot Scooter, and his piercing lime green eyes didn't have a hint of hesitation about it! "Scooter, no!" He struggled to his knees and ran up the rocky hill, his legs slowly becoming heavy, feeling as if anchors had been chained to them. It wasn't Duncan who stopped the soldier, it was Courtney! She was holding the man's shooting arm, struggling to steal the gun. "No, not her too…" Duncan said beneath his breath. The soldier managed to punch Courtney's face, and heaved Scooter into her torso, throwing them both down. He aimed at them, "I'll kill you wastes of-" Duncan tackled him down and threw heavy punches at the man's face. "You monster; you demented piece of shit! Don't ever touch my family!" He grabbed the gun and held it against the soldier's forehead. "Listen, you son of a bitch," he leaned closer and whispered now, "your soul is as good as gone now." He felt incredible rage towards this soldier, regardless of how youthful he looked. How old _was_ he, twenty-three? It didn't matter to Duncan; this soldier almost killed the people he loved! For that he had to pay the price…but deep inside, Duncan felt like giving a small piece of mercy. With that in mind, he pulled the trigger.

Courtney and Scooter couldn't believe what they witnessed. "D-Duncan?" Scooter stuttered, still trying to convince himself what he saw was just a hallucination. "Get up and go make sure they evacuate safely. Hurry up, before midnight!" Courtney checked her phone. 11:50: they had ten minutes. She got up and ran over to the checkpoint, leaving Scooter behind to Duncan. Scooter cautiously moved towards his owner, his little heart beating faster and faster with every step coming closer to Duncan; the smell of blood covering his owner's on scent terrified him.

Duncan was having spasms of shivers; he was terrified too. The faint sound of "pat-pat" coming up behind him caused him to turn around and see Scooter. "I'm not proud of what I just did, Scoot, but at least I know you and Courtney are okay." "Yeah, but are _you_ okay?" "Duncan got up and backed away from the soldier's limp body. _"He looks dead."_ Duncan thought as he wiped blood off his face with his white t-shirt. _"I wore white to symbolize peace, but we're starting a war? Aren't I stupid?" _He bent down and took the gun again, he stood up tall. "If I have to kill 100 men to keep you and Courtney alive, then I will." "…If that's what you want, but you're not in this alone, remember that." He nodded and slipped the gun into his pocket and walked over to Courtney.

"There are still so many cars left and not enough time left, what do we do?" "Calm down, Court, remember the plan?" Courtney had to ponder that. Had she missed something while she was remembering how she'd never seen rain or a cloud? Duncan was already moving on, taking a blow horn out of his backpack and stood on top of a car. "Attention everyone, we must escape quickly! Thank you all for following RAGE. Everyone, please get your valuables which I told you to pack in a bag and exit your cars!" Everyone did so and they did it so quickly. Courtney couldn't help but smile; Duncan was able to start a gang of 13 members and within a few hours of persistence from other members, the gang was consisting the _entire_ population of Nevada in its member count. She had had faith in Duncan, her hero, and everything was starting to work out.

"Remember," Duncan continued, "run as fast as you can until you find the tour buses we fixed up and sneaked further down the highway! The driver and volunteers will quickly pack you all in and we can evacuate. Please, you have 8 minutes; you know the plan now run!" _"How the hell did I miss this part of the plan?"_ Courtney yelled at herself in frustration, _"I'm so stupid sometimes!" _

Everyone ran like a stampede, making the paved road shake and feel like an earthquake. "Come on, Court, Scoot, let's run already!" "Right!" Courtney and Scooter agreed simultaneously. They took off, looking for the buses with a Las Vegas sign painted on their sides, a new sign of freedom. How strange was that?

He ran, he ran as fast as he could, although he was skinny, he was never the athlete. Halfway to the front of the line of cars, he felt a dry, heavy pounding in his chest. "_Am I having heart palpitations? No, of course not,"_ he told himself, so he kept running. His feet began feeling like they were turning into huge, heavy blocks of iron, and his lower torso was on fire, but he knew he had to withstand, or he may not make it! "11_:58 and counting; I have to make it to the buses if they leave at **12:01**."_ The buses, they felt so close, yet so very far away.

He made it to the checkpoint but could bare it no longer, it burned too much, and he collapsed. _"Shit,"_ he thought, _"I'm such a loser!" _He tried to get back up, but he felt a heavy boot weigh him back into the pavement. He yelled in pain, "Get off me, get off me!" "I thought losers didn't make demands; shut up!" The attacker dug his boot deeper. "What's your name?" He demanded in his medium-deep voice that didn't sound so much threatening as it did disciplined, and persuasive, somewhat seductive to the average woman. "My name's Harold, its Harold!" The man kicked Harold onto his back. Harold looked at his attacker. He was an ERA soldier, but blood was trickling down from his somewhat tan face, but why? Why was their blood on him? "Get up and look at me, you pathetic excuse for a man." Harold picked himself up and looked at the soldier in the…eyes…

"Oh, my gosh!" Harold yelled backing away. The soldier's left eye had been destroyed somehow, and it looked very recent. It looked as if it exploded in all directions; blood was splattered all over his face. "W-where is your eye?" Harold realized immediately that it was stupid to act like a smartass when the soldier punched him stomach with force, causing him to hunch over in pain. He grunted, trying not to fall back down. "My eye is everywhere now, smartass, everywhere! Now tell me, are you trying to evacuate with those unruly citizens?" Harold went silent. "_I have to be strong." _"Not going to talk, are yah? I can fix that…its **midnight** now, you know?" "No it can't be! Please," he begged, "don't kill me!" Harold worked at an iGadgets store, where he helped sell all the "modern" day gadgets to the people of 2027. Although the company was a worldwide franchise and in partnership with ERA, Harold's paycheck didn't make the cut to be worth anything to ERA.

"Oh, I won't kill you. You're my prisoner now, and I hope you're excited; you'll be meeting President Lopez soon. We'll decide your fate then, traitor." Harold felt as if he'd been shot in the gut; he was a smart guy, he knew his fate. They'd most likely interrogate him, use him to get the truth about what really happened that night; they'd find out about RAGE if he wasn't strong enough. He decided, until RAGE's 3 leaders acted out their plans to invade and defeat ERA, he'd try to keep their cover.

Harold nodded. "It sounds fair. What do I call you?" The soldier handcuffed him and gripped his arm. "Read my badges, moron." Harold did, but was having difficulty, for such a…strange name. "_D-Demon_, is it?" "It's spelled,** D-a-e-m-o-n-e**, idiot. It's pronounced, '_Day-moan.'" _"_It's actually a believable name considering he's still alive after his eye injury…it looks like a deep wound…like someone shot him. Yet, he's still alive?"_

Duncan was with some RAGE volunteers, sitting on the top deck of the tour bus, where there were seats and plenty of fresh air. As he waited out the ride, he couldn't help feeling a bad vibe; something wasn't right, but what was it? He turned around and looked at the city he was leaving behind. At least the citizens were safe considering how much Nevada's population had shrank; it was easy stuffing the people into three huge tour buses and let others ride in their own cars. Even those people were kind enough to provide transportation.

Duncan turned back around, facing the road ahead again. It was still so dark out; the stars and moon were at their peak brightness. "Duncan, what do we do?" asked a RAGE member. Sure RAGE was now a huge gang, but there were ranks. Those who were brave enough were ranked highly, like a soldier, but Duncan didn't decide on it. It was just a thing known by instinct; knowing who to respect more. "We sit and wait until we reach the first motel. The others can kindly volunteer rides to other motels. California's a big state; we can all easily blend in while those who are actually poor can start a new life." "How?" "Our Underground Network will help them find a new life." "Underground Network? What is that?" "It's a last minute resort Courtney and I came up with at the junkyard. You see, rebels live _everywhere_. Certain RAGE members work in the network. Those people were former Witness Protection Program agents, but with crime ratings nearly obliterated, there was no use for them. These unemployed agents clearly want to help, and now they are. Some are on this bus, but their identities must remain unknown." The member smiled. "Pure brilliance, sir." "Sir? Now little darling, you don't need to call me that." "Well, you _are_ our leader." "A leader, me?" "Yes, you made RAGE." He went silent.

Courtney appeared on the top deck. "Huh? Courtney? What are you doing here? You should be back inside, below, where it's safe." "You shouldn't be the only one in danger. May I remind you I'm as much a part of this as you are?" She took a seat beside him. _"What does she want now? Now isn't the time for romance." _"Thanks for saving us back there, but are you alright?" "I'd do it again; so long as you're safe, I'll kill again." She nodded. "_If only I could be that brave," she thought_. "…Hey," she said, "wouldn't you like a different shirt? That one's all covered in blood." "Sure." He shrugged. Courtney opened her back pack and handed him a grey cotton t-shirt. He took his white, blood-stained tank top off and put it aside. As Courtney handed over the shirt she packed for him, she couldn't help but stare at his half-bare complexion. "_He's….so….irresistible; completely sensual to look at!" _He put on the shirt and looked at her. "Are you okay?" "…Huh? Oh, um, yes, I'm fine!" She blushed.

They had made it safely to Los Angeles and met at a motel. There, Duncan made his orders to make sure everyone else would evaporate into the society within California and the RAGE members who were to run the Network were to dispatch. The buses were to then be disposed off without anyone out of RAGE noticing.

It seemed silent now, the seemingly swirling sounds in Duncan's head. It felt like forever waiting for the reports from the groups. The Supporters 9those who supported RAGE, but were not members) were all reported to be safely fusing into society again. Rage members who chose to be leaders of little troops reported the disposing of the tour buses. By the time Courtney read the final report off Duncan's laptop (a report of the safe dispatching of RAGE's Underground Network members, or RUN for short) to Duncan, it was seven o'clock at night. Duncan breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the edge of the motel bed for the first time that day. He had been patrolling around the motel's area for research all day.

"So that's it for now? The plan worked?" "It would seem so, Duncan. I'm so proud of you." "Where's Scooter?" "He's sleeping over there in a corner." "He's such an angel sometimes…I'm very relieved you're both safe for now." "I've noticed you treat him like a child sometimes. Can you explain?" She took a seat next him. "I did adopt him, in a sense. It was a rainy day. I found him nearly dying on the side of a road. I got out and walked over to him to check on his condition. He'd been hit by an iCar, but thank goodness it was in a school zone, otherwise he wouldn't have been alive…"

"_Help me," Scooter's eyes seemed to cry, "Please help me." Duncan felt so much sympathy for him, although at the time Scooter couldn't talk, he understood what he was thinking. "I'll help you, boy, hang in there." He picked him up and carried him into his iCar. At the hospital, Duncan waited 16 hours for news of Scooter, but it felt like it had been an eternity. "Is he alright?" Duncan asked the vet-machine technician. "The robot was able to identify all the issues with him. The dog will be alright now, and we're releasing him into your custody. We gave him a translating collar as it is required by law now and days or he'll be put into a pound for adoption." Scooter limped over to Duncan once he was brought out. Duncan got on his knees and petted him. "Don't worry, boy, I'll protect you from now on, okay? You're never going into a pound, you hear?" "…Are you my owner now?" Scooter "spoke." "Yes." "Then, thank you so much for saving me. I'm Scooter." "I'm Duncan." "…I love you, my protector...my owner…my daddy."_

"Why did he call you 'daddy'?" "I asked him the same thing. He said that it was because his own father had abandoned his family a week before his accident. His father never really loved him, and his mother blamed him for his father's abandonment. That caused Scooter to run away and get hit by a car. I cared for him when no one else did or would…even if I didn't know him." "So he saw you as a father figure…why did you care for him with no hesitation?"

"I used to have a dog, Petey. He ran away when I was little. Maybe he got hit by a car too, I'll never know, but I promised I'd help any animal in need. In memory of my lost friend, I saved Scooter." "Well now that my question's been answered, we can relax." She sighed, lying back in bed. "So, sweetie, where are you going to sleep?" "Sleep? It's too early to sleep. Besides," he smiled slyly, "I'm sleeping here." "This is my bed, there's only one!" She protested, sitting straight up. "Can't take a hint, can you?" "What are you talking about?" He gently placed his right hand on one of her legs. She was only wearing shorts and a grey tank top, but she felt her body temperature rise.

"A hint, you say? What hint?" She tried playing hard to get, but something about him made her melt. "Come on, babe, you know I want you." "Is it safe?" "What do you mean?" He came closer to her. She closed her eyes, giggling.

_"She's right, is this really where you want to have your first kiss with her? We're taking refuge in an old, dirty motel! She deserves better than this! Not to also mention we may still be in potential danger. Besides, you know this won't be love-making, this is just lust in your body and mind; all you want to do is to brutally fuck her. That's not right." _

He just smiled and chuckled. "This isn't right," he said aloud, backing away from her, "because you deserve _love_ somewhere other than here. You deserve it in a different scenario too; let's not forget this motel actually is a one-night stay for us until we start 'running'.""Well isn't that sweet of you to finally agree with me?" He smiled sweetly, making her giggle. Duncan kicked off his shoes and so did Courtney. He pulled the bed covers back and layed in bed, holding out his arms. Courtney smiled and crawled under the covers and snuggled up against him. He pulled the sheets up. "Are you cozy?" "Yes I am…I love you, you know that? There's something I want you to know…

No matter where we are, as long as we're together, any place can be romantic and safe. I know now that you really will protect me at any cost. I'm truly thankful for that, really. The thing that worries me is that, well, you really will do just about anything to keep me safe. I don't want you to risk your life for little me-" "—Courtney, don't be silly-" "—Let me finish!" He sighed as a signal for her to continue. "You'll be safe too, so long as I'm around. An eye for an eye, my dear; I'll do anything to protect you too." "I guess I don't have a choice in this?" "You're right, you don't really have choice; deal with it. So, what do we do now?" "You're asking me?" "I know I'm very intelligent, but it seems you're the one who has the right kind of mind for planning rebellions."

"Well…I know that we need to get out of here soon. We're the ones that can't stay in one place too long since we'll be looked upon as the creators of RAGE." "We are." "I know that. However, this doesn't grant us security and peace of mind. We have to be the ones constantly on the move otherwise we'll fail." "What do you mean?" "Movement stimulates the mind and body, so we'll be up and running, ready to plan anything on sight and ready to fight back." "Oh, like a computer!" "Exactly my point; the mind is a computer in a sense which makes us like robots. We've just got to be able to tune into this is all. It can't be too much for people like us to handle, right?" She nodded. "All we need to do right now is rest. Even a computer needs to hibernate every now and then. Maybe when we wake up we can come up with the next thing to do." She sighed as she sniggled her face in his strong chest. Her arms moved around to try and find a comfy position, and then she felt something in Duncan's pants. "…What is this?" _"Oh damn it!" _

She pulled out the pistol he had stolen from the soldier he shot in the eye. He now wondered why he even gave such mercy; he felt like that soldier should've gotten shot in the head like he had first planned on doing. Courtney gasped. "What the hell are you doing with a gun in your pocket?" "I took it from that bastard who tried to kill you!" "Idiot, it's not even your own gun! Do you realize how much more trouble we can get into for possession of a firearm? Don't you remember the government passed a law requiring only officials to carry firearms, stupid?"

He covered her mouth. "Shut up, already. As long as no one tries to harm us no one will see it. Now, put it down before you hurt yourself." She handed it to him and he put it inside a nightstand drawer. They laid back down. "Now why don't we get some rest?" "Okay." "Hey, Courtney?" "Yes, Duncan?" "…Why were you feeling around down there in the first place?"

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><p><strong>Well it is a story that has some comedy for relief! teehee! Okay, now that the Evacuation has succeeded, what'll happen next? Chapter 10 will be a biggie, a turning point for RAGE and ERA. What exactly will happen now? All I'll give you is the title of the next chapter, which is "In God, We Trust." So yah, PLEASE GIVE ME SOME REVIEWS YOU NEVER KNOW I MIGHT TAKE SOMEONE'S SUGGESTION OR REQUEST OF SOMETHING IF IT FITS WELL IN THE PLOT! -DoodlezQueen-TDI<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note- Note that the story is now Rated M for safety. It is rated M for some language, awsome action, some violence, and suggestive themes. Will there be a lemon scene? I highly doubt it considering i cant right lemons. Im only 14! **

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><p><span>Chapter Ten-"In God We Trust"<span>

**"Why?" Antonio wondered, "Why haven't I've received any reports from my checkpoints? They know I cannot dispatch more ERA troops into Nevada without reports!"**

He paced behind his desk in the oval office. "This is unconstitutional!" proclaimed Mr. Hartman; he had been imprisoned and was currently handcuffed to a chair. "Unconstitutional, you say? When's the last time we even recalled to _remember_ the constitution? It's nothing more than an old, outdated, obsolete piece of shit." "You're a monster! The world has followed tin this country's footsteps because of it! We finally had peace in this world!" "Yes, but I only want to enhance this time of peace; however, I also want to modernize our world's statement of peace." "Enhance peace? You only want to recreate the world…in your 'perfect' image!" Hartman gasped in realization, "Who the hell do you think you are, God?" Antonio only grinned at the man's question.

He turned around and began circling the room. "Have you seen what ERA stands for? We are the Earth _Recreation_ Army; we _do_ _make_ peace. I created everything that makes the world the way it is now. The weather is to only be perfectly sunny days, the air pollution is controlled; it's filtered. Deaths are reduced because of robotic medical operators, and iCars reduce accidents to a count of zero! Healthy food is all we're allowing to eat, so everything is perfect." "Deaths are not reducing; not with your plans to kill off Nevada's people and God knows how many more!" "It's a state full of wastes of skins! We must reduce human pollution by killing economy, don't you understand? Surely you must understand!" "No, I don't understand, and because of my understandings of morals, I never will." "…What a shame. I might as well educate you more about this so you can see past those morals and move onto new ones…we're also executing those with disabilities, mental or physical, they cannot serve this country anyways. Orphans and minors in adoption centers will be humanely rid of since children who grow up with the scars of no real parents tend to get a bit insane and worthless. Oh, and people who are too old or sick to work will also be killed. It'll be peace at last again."

"You're a sick bastard! I'll never agree with your plans! How could you think that there are _humane_ ways to _kill_ a child? It was a huge mistake of mine to hand over my power to you!" "It wasn't a mistake, but you did insist on it. You proved all my plans to work, and I'm assured it'll continue that way. Thank you."

"Mr. President, Private Daemone Michaels is on Line 2." "Thanks, Becky. Transfer the call to the video screen." "Yes, sir." A flat screen rolled down in front of his desk and the soldier appeared on screen. "What the hell happened, Private? Why are _you_ reporting and not your troop leader?" "Sergeant Major Morrison has been killed. Sir, an event happened tonight. All the checkpoints have been bombed and destroyed. It's assumed everyone's escaped Nevada. I caught this weakling named Harold, and he's going to give us information about this all when I get to your office." "Damn it all! So all the soldiers are-" "—Dead, sir, they're all dead. I know this because I've checked. Communications were somehow shut down, but it was only a temporary effect seeing as I eventually called all checkpoints for survivors. No one answered those calls."

"We've been hacked and tricked. Who did this?" "My prisoner knows." "…I'll send a troop to pick you up and bring you here." "Yes, sir." "Good job on your efforts and surviving an attack in the line of duty. When you arrive here into my White House, you'll be on temporary leave, Sergeant Major Daemone Michaels." "Sergeant Major?" "You've proven you have a spine, kid. Now leave me be. I must plan out a few moves towards our new enemy." "Yes sir, thank you."

"So much for your 'peace plan,' Antonio. I knew someone would stop you." Hartman snickered. "This is merely a bump on the road for me, Hartman; a bug on my clean floor. What do I do to that bug? I squish it. I will find out who lead this rebellious evacuation and I will plot to kill him. Meanwhile, I think I'll start by scaring him and his followers." "How?" "Let's just say the 4th of July is coming early, Mr. Hartman."

_"It feels so good," _Courtney thought,_ "so damn good. I just love the feeling of hot, running water." _She was in the shower, already very fresh and cleansed from the dirt of the evacuation. The only reason she stayed in the shower was to feel the hot beads of water drop against her moist skin. They had a sense of purity. Courtney just always had a love for water, and its pure characteristics; by now, she could feel each individual drop of water as it touched her. She closed her eyes, moving herself directly under the shower head, throwing her head back. The water felt magical on her bare neck. _"It's strange…Duncan made me feel better than this? How? Oh, I hope I didn't wake him; he must just be planning in his sleep. I love that guy." _Courtney walked out of the steaming bathroom, wrapped up in a towel. She walked over to the vanity and opened her bag, searching for fresh clothes. She managed to find small lacey undergarments, but still looked for her black spandex shorts and her black cotton tank top.

_"This isn't right,"_ Duncan thought, _"I shouldn't see her naked, not yet."_ He quietly rolled onto the floor and with pure stealth, crawled like a trained soldier into the bathroom, silently getting up. He slowly closed the door and heard the light _"flump"_ of a towel slumping to the carpeted floor. "_Good, I made it before she got nude…and she didn't even hear me. Maybe I should've followed in my family's footsteps to become a soldier…nah! RAGE is more meaningful to me." _He stretched a bit then undressed, throwing his clothes into a laundry basket. "It's only been one night," he said quietly, "and I feel like I've lived here with her for years!" He smiled at such a thought and turned on the shower.

Letting the water run a bit, he looked at the mirror quickly. "Damn," he thought, "I need to relax, I look exhausted." Duncan stepped into the shower, his body tensing up in surprise to the unusually cold water. "_That's fine, I prefer the cold. It's all I've ever known…except for Courtney and Scooter."_

Courtney had spent minutes looking in the mirror, only in her bra and lacey panties. She worried too much about her looks; it was an obsession and she knew it. Tears began to run down her sun-kissed cheeks. "Stop it, Court," she said aloud, slapping one hand aside both her cheeks, "you've got to stop seeking the imperfections in yourself. Duncan thinks you're perfect, and shouldn't that really be all that matters?" She looked for a tissue to wipe away her tears, but they were missing. It was then she remembered they were in the bathroom.

Walking into the bathroom, she realized the water was running in the shower. "I thought I-" before she could finish her sentence, the water stooped and Duncan stepped out of the shower, all…exposed. Courtney's eyes grew wide as she took in the sight, and a dark blush spread across her face. "Oh…my…god!" Duncan yelled when he realized he had been spotted in a bad scenario. "Ah! No-no-no, I'm so sorry, Duncan! I didn't know and it's m-my fault and-and…oh, god, just cover yourself up!" She covered her eyes as Duncan quickly wrapped a towel around his waist. "I-I'm s-so sorry!" She squealed as she uncovered her eyes. Now Duncan's eyes were the ones growing and he began blushing. "Um…y-you're in your…l-lingerie." He looked away, but this feeling inside him kept forcing him to gaze at her. Courtney realized her predicament and squealed as she dug through the laundry basket nearby, quickly finding and putting on one of Duncan's shirts to cover up.

"So…I tried not to see you n-nude…and you end up seeing m-me." They were all dressed now and were sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry." "…Hey, its okay," He smirked, "so long as you liked what you saw, and I noticed you peeking at me, so I'd say I apparently put on a good show." She giggled, "Don't be such a pig, I wasn't turned on! You're such a cocky guy, aren't you?" "Oh, such a well played _innuendo_, babe." She laughed at the realization of the pun her words actually had and kissed his cheek. "Yes, okay? I liked what I saw. I found it irresistible," he felt her fingers twinkling up his leg and up to his thigh, "and I still _want_ it." He was pleasantly surprised to hear her lips form those words, and he was in more ecstasy when he felt them touch his left ear ever so softly. She whispered, "I want you to take me back there. I love you so much and I want to...I want to be with you forever, so... damn it, just _love_ me!" He now had her permission, and something below told him that he should act upon such a kind offer. So he picked her up, bridal style, and carried her away.

Feeling so very tired, Scooter finished patrolling the motel area, it was quiet barren mind you, and he was now close to the room his owners were staying at. "Scooter," a RAGE member said, halfway out of his room, "the President just made an announcement! He's…he's going to destroy Nevada." "What?" Scooter froze in panic.

A loud bang on the door interrupted Courtney and Duncanbefore they even got close to what they've dreamt of. They dressed up again and answered the door. "What's wrong?" they simultaneously asked with annoyance. "The president," the RAGE member choked out, "he's going to bomb Nevada!" "What? No, this can't be true! This cannot be happening!" Duncan said. He had to face the truth as he saw people running out into the open courtyard, heading for the motel's check-in building and climbing its fire escapes to get to the top of it. He and the rest ran over to join them as they gazed in the direction of the home they left behind.

A motel employee turned on his iPhone's radio and raised the volume to its maximum. Everyone else stayed quiet to listen to the news. "_No_," Duncan thought, "_this can't happen…I promised them all they'd be able to go back home one day…damn it!" _

"We will destroy it," Antonio's voice boomed from the radio, "ERA will not be beaten by a mere obstacle! We will not let a small gang, with a state's worth of supporters, tell us what to do! We're going to MicroNuke you're precious state. This country doesn't need to have such a low financed state anyways." "MicroNuke, what's that?" asked Scooter. "Another invention my father and some ERA scientists created. They've found a way to miniaturize a nuclear bomb, into the size of a small rocket. My father showed me the procedures one needed to that the catastrophe of the bomb would be kept inside a designated area. Soon, many helicopters will fly above us, carrying an enormous 'glass' dome. This dome will be big enough to cover most of Nevada, in this case. Afterwards, they'll drop the MicroNuke and let the area become infected by the radiation." "How will we know when they'll drop it?" asked a motel worker. "When the 'President' counts it off." Duncan replied. "It'll be dropped by a black jet with a blue star." Courtney explained. "California's city lines have changed so much since my time," a RAGE member explained, "Los Angeles is now the closest city to Nevada, along with Lake Tahoe. Just past those mountains is the desert to Nevada…so, aren't we too close?" "Unless they forget the dome, we'll be safe. Either way, we all need to split up and separate into the rest of the state." "She's right," Duncan agreed, "_We'll_ be the ones progressing towards Antonio Lopez. The rest of you can take that time to re-cooperate. When you have, I'm going to need to ask of you all a favor: try to recruit more members for RAGE, because I need them in every state."

"If this little gang wants war," Antonio said on the radio, "then let the war begin, but rest assure, we won't lose this battle." Scooter whimpered, "I think we should get our backpacks and leave! M-my animal instincts a-are kicking in; I can sense something b-bad, really bad, about to happen." "A bomb's about to be dropped," Courtney said, "don't you think that's what you're feeling!" "N-no, Courtney, it's much worse. Yes, it involves the bomb, but something tells me we need to get out of here right now!" The others stared at him in confusion. "Well? What are you doing standing around? Get your backpacks and get ready to get the hell out of here!" Duncan ordered. "How will we leave?" Courtney asked. "Mr. Paulouski," Duncan turned to the hotel manager, "can you call some means of transportation without raising suspicion?" The hotel manager nodded. He was a cousin of a RAGE member and was now a Supporter and one with some great connections too. "I can call in a few iCabs, the kind that can carry more than 2 people. I can also call my two friends to bring in a California tour bus and a brand new iCar for you to use." "I don't want an iCar; I want _a car._ Does he have any special ones like that?" "I'll see what he can do for you, hero." "Thank you so much. Everyone, pack up quickly. We've got a rebellion to move onto, one that we'll win if I have anything to say about it."

"Everything is ready for preparation, sir. Would you like us to dispatch the helicopters with the dome, for now?" "No," answered Antonio, "Forget the dome. It's still a small bomb…intelligence tells me that the target maybe resting in a Los Angeles motel, on the city's boundaries; it's nearly in the desert. I want that aftershock to hit him, I want to kill him and that little bit of his gang he has with him. If we kill him, then the gang no longer has someone to make such arrogant, yet well thought out plans; they will be no more." "Yes, sir." "How long would it take to set up the MicroNuke into its chamber?" "Sir, I…I thought you were just bluffing so that the organizer of that evacuation would come clean?" "I don't bluff, soldier. I want to scare him with honest actions." "Well, sir, it would take about 10 minutes to load the MicroNuke into the jet. I'm sure you're aware of how fast the SpeedStar can travel, since its you're creation, sir; it'd take, at most…maybe 3 to 4 hours to fly from here to Nevada, so long as we clear the skies from other planes." Antonio smiled. "Excellent work, soldier. You're doing wonders for this ERA nation." "Sir, do we have permission to do this? Last time I remember, the President can't always make decisions by themselves. The President can't be above the law." " You're questioning my orders? Since when did you become so ballsy?" "ERA may be your creation, but all of ERA's soldiers had to be in some military service for at least a year and a half to qualify for being recruited into ERA." "Get to your point, soldier, you're drying my patience." "My point is, whether we're marines, navy seamen, or air force airmen, or even just drafted army soldiers, we've been taught to always keep America in mind when following orders." "Is this a threat, Sgt. Major Brown?" Antonio asked in a chillingly mellow tone. Such calmness surprised Sgt. Major Alexander Brown. "It's not much of a threat, but more of a _warning_, sir." "Alex, just follow my orders without question, as you were taught to do. America will be alright as long as we protect it, I promise." He smiled.

Alex wasn't convinced, but nodded. He didn't want to get into trouble, not yet anyways. "Now go deploy the SpeedStar." Alex saluted then walked away. Antonio's smile faded and he slipped back into his office. "He still won't say who runs the gang he told us about." Daemone said, standing next to Harold. Harold was sitting on a chair, his hands were handcuffed to the arm rests of the seat and his legs had been bounded together by rope, placed in a sack, and another rope was tied around the bag.

"Stand back, soldier; relax." Antonio walked over to Harold and looked him in the eyes. "Calm down, Mr. Anderson. All we want is for you to be honest. The truth will set you free." Harold tried to calm himself, but trying to breathe gave his throat a stinging sensation. He had been choked, and beaten. "_How much longer can I take this?"_ Harold asked himself, "_What if I die for holding someone else's secret? Well…if the secret of RAGE does get revealed…then that means I am dead." _"Still not talking, eh?" Antonio nodded at Daemone's words. Daemone simply shocked Harold in the neck with his tazer. Harold yelled in pain and slumped in his seat after the shockwaves stopped pulsing through his body. Harold gasped, "I want the name or names of this gang and its leader." Harold looked to the side, he wanted to disrespect him. Antonio lost his temper and punched Harold in the gut then pushed the chair, along with Harold, down on the ground. Antonio shoved his foot into Harold's "nether regions."

"Tell me the names, damn you! I don't have time four this bullshit! Who do you think you can be? A hero? You're nothing but a pathetic weakling!" "Sir," a dark and full woman entered the room with caution, "the secretary wants to know if she should send up the radio and camera crew again?" "Yes, send them up. Thanks, LeShawna." She looked at Harold with deep concern, but she could do nothing but walk back out. Harold, even in his severe pain, saw that worry in her dark eyes. He wanted her to help him, but he also wanted her to leave him alone, otherwise she'd be hurt. It's amazing how much care he had for her just by seeing her a few times before and seeing her now. She never even talked to him, but he still cared for her safety. After all, she did sneak in water for him when he was left in there alone before interrogation before. He wondered how such a beautiful, innocent women work for someone as horrible as Antonio Lopez. Of course, if nothing was done soon, if Duncan really did die, the entire world would revolve into Antonio's hands; into the hands of the Third Anti-Christ.

Duncan had just finished helping the last tour bus get full. He sent if off, now assured that these innocent people were safe. He slipped his backpack onto his shoulder. "Thanks for all the help, Mr. Paulouski." "No problem. Soon I'll be out of here too, as soon as the last employee leaves. Are you pleased with your new ride?" Duncan glanced over at the beautiful silver Nissan GT-R. "It's a shame knowing that I'll eventually have to discard this beauty eventually…Courtney you ready?" She closed the car's right door after letting Scooter hop into the back. She turned to face Duncan and nodded. "Mr. Paulouski," Duncan said turning back to him, "it was great working with you." He shook his hand firmly. "Why say it as if we won't meet again, Mr. Brown? _When_ you throw Antonio Lopez out of the oval office, I will find you and thank you personally."

Duncan was amazed at this man's optimistic and calm attitude. "_If only I could be so calm." _He thought. "Be careful out there, okay? I don't mean to pressure you, but keep in mind we're all counting on you." He lightly knocked on Duncan's forehead. "Although you're so young, I know you have some brains in there. You've proven that. Just don't let your personality get the best of you." Mr. Paulouski soon left, driving in the line behind that last tour bus. Duncan checked the homemade holster he connected onto his waistband (he had made the holster out of the flap of an old leather boot he had found in his motel room's closet, and some thread Courtney had brought in an emergency sewing kit, which sounded odd to Duncan, but he still felt lucky she had it.) The pistol was still inside the holster, but he had no idea how many shots were left to use. His curiosity was interrupted by Courtney's cries of disbelief and anger.

"No! No, it can't be! How could he do this?" Duncan followed her gaze up to the sky and froze. Up there, not too far away, was a black jet with a blue star on it. "Where are those helicopters with the dome?" Duncan quickly questioned. Courtney was speechless, but Scooter was a step ahead; Scooter had turned the radio on and had turned the volume to the highest. Antonio's voice boomed through the car's opened windows, "Citizens of the United States of America hear me now. I do _**not**_ tolerate rebellions among society, especially when it increases to this level. A gang is rising to try and stop my plans to save the Earth! This gang is run by a 25 year old man! His actions were allowed, yes, but we're no longer underestimating his and his gang's actions. We know where you are, you little punk-ass rebel, and that's why you will suffer the consequences. Watch as the state you tried to save falls into nuclear fallout. Oh, and just to let you know, you're location is know."

"That's why the jet flew over us!" Courtney gasped, "He's just taunting us!" "Not only that, he's dropping it!" Duncan said breathlessly as he looked at the horizon with the jet disappearing behind it. "to the Gang Leader of RAGE , otherwise known as the Rebels Against Government Enforcers, we do not mess around. ERA wanted to begin a new plan for peace, and you interfered. Now," Duncan's eyes widened, in fear (which he had not felt I years!) and he pushed Courtney into the car, quickly climbed inside and completely started the Nissan GT-R, "the war begins." Duncan just had to look over his shoulder, back at the horizon, and Courtney did too. "In 3," Antonio continued, "…2...1, pilot, drop the MicroNuke."

The time…it just seemed to stop…it seemed to just freeze slowly, Duncan felt as if he could just hear that hatch on the jet opening. Within a few moments, he and Courtney were startle by a loud thump and a slight shaking of the ground. "America," Antonio's voice continued as Duncan began to drive away quickly, "ERA will protect you; I will protect you. For those _watching_ the footage on the television news broadcast, please don't be alarmed or afraid of the visions." Now Duncan was driving as fast as he could, he could actually see a huge could of oncoming explosion radiation and residue crawling closer and closer. Courtney closed her car window quickly as she and the others felt the horrible heat wave hit them with a slight sting and a forceful wind.

"Everything," Antonio continued, "will be okay…**_For In God_…_We Trust_**."

And time's seemingly slowed pace…caught up to the speed Duncan Brown was trying to use…to save the ones he loved.

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><p><strong>Author's Note-...oh damn...now that was good in my opinion. Yeah this took such a long time to write because of writer's block, and it took even longer to type up Im sorry. So yes, were halfway there, maybe. By the way, every character who's name is actually mentioned has a role. They will appear again. Yes that means Hiro, Mr. Paulouski, Sgt. Major Alexander Brown, Sgt. Major Daemone, Becky (courtney's father's seceratary), and LeShawna. A note is that ERA is sepereated into troops, and each troop is lead by someone ranked a Sgt. Major, so there are many troops. Anyways, i do realize this story had many OC's but like i said, this story is an ORIGINAL idea of mine and i just used Duncan and Courtney as the main characters because they really fit into these roles! So sorry if some of you are disappointed. So next time, Book II begins as the rest unfolds. Where was former president Hartman during the MicroNuke on Nevada? Where is Duncan actually going? And are Duncan, Courtney and Scooter alive? Have they escaped the radiation cloud? Once again im pleading for your reviews, IM ON MY KNEES BEGGING FOR REVIEWS PLEASE! ~DoodlezQueen-TDI <strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N.- So yeah this was a fast update, because in my opinion its a much needed short chapter. Welcome to the beginning of part two, were we find out a few things and such. And I dont wanna spoil it but just to let ya know something somewhat big happens in this chapter, let me know what you think of that.**

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><p>Part Two: An Era of Rage<p>

Chapter Eleven- Am I Alive?

The room was dark, cold, and empty; so very empty and alone.

"Just like me." Harold thought. He had begged not to watch the explosion, so his plea was granted; he had been locked inside a secretive room. He wasn't even allowed to see where it was located! Although he was still blindfolded, he could tell he wasn't alone.

"Hello?" Harold whispered, "Is someone in here too?" "You should learn to keep your mouth shut," a familiar voice said, "before you give away _**more**_ information about those people trying to help us." "President Hartman, is that you?" "_**Ex**_-President, thanks to my recent blunder." "…I'm dead aren't I?" "No, you're as much alive as I am. We didn't want to see the explosion, and we got our wish…God, I feel so ignorant!" "Look, everyone makes mistakes, and everyone gets deceived. You've been deceived, Mr. Hartman, it's not your fault! I knew ERA was a bit strange, I never saw them as a threat. Antonio's done a good job at that. However, now he believes his own lies and soon _everyone_ will too." "Propaganda?" "Propaganda." "Damn it…this sounds all too familiar, you know that? With the _types_ of people he wants to kill and _now_ fool promises with a side of propaganda." "I know what you mean." "…While I was growing up, my grandparents warned me of something like this." "If we survive, we should begin listening to our elders again. If I'm correct, they told you of Nostradamus and his predictions?" "Yes…and I wish I had listened to them. Now, because of me, the Third Anti-Christ has risen." "…We should make sure it never happens again." "_**We**_?" "I merely want to help. In the process, _**we**_ could both redeem ourselves from our current pathetic state." "Explain this plan of yours then, because I'm not just trusting another plan without hearing its details again." "Trust _**me**_…we need to get copies of Nostradamus' predictions into the reach of everyone again." Harold explained, "If everyone is reminded or educated about his predictions, they'd stop believing Antonio's propaganda." "How can we do that in our current imprisonment and how will we advertise it?"

"Leave it to me," a women's voice said, "because I believe your views now. I now know that Antonio _**is**_ a bad guy." "…Harold, is it?" Hartman said, "When did your voice start sounding like a lady's voice?" "It's not me, gosh!" "My name is LeShawna. I'm Antonio's personal assistant, but now I see through his lies." Harold's blind fold came off and now he was looking into the eyes of this woman he so desperately wanted to _**leave**_.

"LeShawna…go away, please." She slapped back handed him, and Mr. Hartman, who was un-blindfolded, chuckled. "Boy, I came here to help and you tellin' me to go away? You crazy or what?" "I don't want you to get hurt! You seem too innocent and kind to suffer our fates." "Well guess what, I'm not innocent if I've helped Antonio up until now, am I?" She helped him and Hartman up to their feet, her angered attitude evaporating into the air. "Are you taking our handcuffs off?" "As much as I want to, I can't, Mr. Hartman. I was sent he to retrieve you guys for him, but he can't see or hear us while I'm in here. So I decided to make my helping position known; I'm on your side now. Trust me, please." "Well, we obviously can't make a move now." "I know, but when you're both alone, we can plot to help out…RAGE, from the inside of their target. So I'll get those books republished and sent out into libraries and into virtual book stores. I'll also manage advertisement for it." "How?" Harold asked. "She's a president's personal assistant," Hartman explained, "She manages everything to do with his propaganda and other things too." "That's perfect…thanks for helping us, LeShawna." "No problem, sugar." Harold was thankful for the darkness in the room; otherwise LeShawna would see his slight blushing. "Mr. Harman, LeShawna…welcome to RAGE." LeShawna then proceeded to take them back into Antonio's office.

"Courtney?" he mumbled as he opened his eyes. Their car had been flipped onto its side by the sheer force of the explosion. "Scooter?" He couldn't really see; everything looked like blurry silhouettes to him. All he heard was the faint, distorted sound of someone calling his name. "It's an angel," he whispered as Courtney's beautiful face began to clear into his sight, "I'm dead…but why is she-" a tear from her fell onto his cheek and everything cleared up. "C-Courtney?" "Oh, Duncan!" She pushed his face close to her chest in an embrace. He could hear her heartbeat. He was practically on her lap, except he was taller than her and was nearly lying down. "Am I…alive?" "Thank god you are!" She was sitting on the surprisingly intact passenger window, caressing the man she loved. "W-what happened?" "You don't remember? The car flipped in the air three times and in one flip, you somehow threw yourself over me and held me so tightly until we landed. I don't know how you did it, but you saved me…thank you…I thought you were dead and gone!" She began to cry harder, "Duncan, please don't ever risk yourself again!"

"Shh," he lightly pressed a finger against her soft lips, "don't cry. You're never going to be alone. I will never leave you; I'll always be here for you." He sat up a bit, although he was in some pain, he knew now was the time. As he once told me, he would've never wanted it any other way. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and looked down at her. "I love you. I love you too much to leave you." With that, he kissed her passionately. She was so shocked by it; a moment ago she almost lost him and now this? Now she felt the seriousness coming. Something told her everything was about to take a huge turn. Either way, she stopped thinking too much and started kissing him back.

They stopped for air. "I love you too, Duncan," she gasped. "…Wait…where's Scooter?" He looked at the back seat. "He's still alive, but he got a bit hurt." "Scoot, come here." Scooter stepped up from his resting position. His tail now had a slight dent in it and he had some blood stains on his golden fur from some cuts. "My poor baby!" Duncan blurted out as he pet his beloved friend. "You're…alive?" Scooter asked, licking his owner's face to see if it was true. "He's a fighter." Courtney said. "I'm okay," Scooter lied, "but hey, let's get this car moving! We can't just stop now, let's get moving!" "How? We can't go outside to push this car over or else we'll be infected by radiation." "We can combine our weight to flip it over."

Within minutes of pushing around, they managed to flip the car back onto all four wheels. They slowly secured themselves back into their seats. Duncan rubbed the back of his aching head; he had been knocked unconscious and his entire body ached, but much to his relief, Courtney only got a few cuts and Scooter wasn't dead. After a few tries he finally started the car and smirked. "Nothing's gonna' stop me, babe, believe it." "Nothing's gonna' stop _**us**_." She corrected him, smiling. With that, they were back on the road.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N- so whacha think? Did the third person point of view get a bit confusing around the time they kissed? Yep usually a third person point of view story is one where you wonder who it is telling the story, now you might be wondering who it is, you'll just have to wait to find out XD okay but on a serious note R&amp;R please and PLEASE REVIEW! ~ DoodlezQueen-TDI<strong>


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